The situation of Manchester United at the start of the season was very promising, with Cristiano Ronaldo as visible head of the project. In the previous edition of the Premier League He was the third top scorer, with 18 goals and three assists, only surpassed by Mo Salah (Liverpool) and Heung-Min Son (Tottenham). He painted well the second stage of the Portuguese at Old Trafford.
You have to remember that all this comes after the portuguese player will try to leave Manchester United in summer. Despite offering himself to many teams, he did not manage to leave, either because no team was willing to pay for his record and his signing, or also because the English club did not make things easy for him.
With the departure of the Portuguese footballer, United sought to calm the waters and continue on their way in the season in search of good results, both in the league and in Europe. Before the World Cup break, the English were fifth in the Premier League standings with eight wins, two draws and four losses, highlighting their bad start to the league with two consecutive defeats, and one Horrible performance in Manchester derbywith a humiliating 6-3.
United manager Ten Hag greets his City counterpart Josep Guardiola
After the return of the World Cup in Qatar, the United has managed to reverse the situation, since only know victory in the seven games played so far. It so happens that they are just the duels in which Cristiano is not in the club. One of the main culprits behind this winning streak is Marcus Rashfordone of the fittest players in England: add eight goals in the last seven games playedbeing the footballer who has best started 2023 facing the goal.
Is achievement of victories puts United in Champions League places, being only one point behind second place in the Premier League, which belongs to Guardiola’s City. This team, who beat them 6-3 months ago, has now been defeated by United, who is in a moment of total effusiveness. There is a good atmosphere, there are favorable results and there is union. Everything after Cristiano has left.
Effectiveness in both areas
The team led by Erik ten Hag not only stands out for its offensive efficiencybut it has also been characterized by keep a clean sheet in these seven games, conceding a goal in just two games, in the FA Cup against Evertonand in the victory of the last league game against City.
The second manchester derby of the season it was taken by United, but not without controversy. Grealish they put Guardiola’s men ahead in the 60th minute, but in just three minutes the Reds managed to overcome the result. The tie at one came in the 78th minute with a goal from Bruno Fernandes in a through pass casemirowhere the offside presence of Rashford sparked controversy.
United’s ’10’ managed to consolidate the result with his goal in the 82nd minute and, with it, his seventh consecutive victory at the start of the new stage of Manchester without Cristiano Ronaldo.
a great renaissance
Erik ten Hag should be proud of how their footballers are facing, after the World Cup in Qatar, this second part of the season, in which they hope to continue with the good run of results achieved so far, with Marcus Rashford as an offensive reference for Manchester United. In addition, the Dutch coach comes out very reinforced, because he was the one who faced Cristiano the most, the one that separated him and for which the club opted. And at least in these first games without Cristiano Ten Hag he has shown that he had a plan. And that happened because Ronaldo wasn’t there.
