Manager Fernando Santos Benched Cristiano Ronaldo For This Reason

Portugal won its Round of 16 match against Switzerland by a comfortable 6-1 margin and marched into the quarter-finals with flying colors. But all wasn’t well with the winning team. Portuguese manager Fernando Santos sent Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench for the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 game.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Cristiano Ronaldo was sent to the bench by his manager Fernando Santos
• Earlier the managers of Juventus and Manchester United had made the similar decision

What Went Wrong Between Portuguese Captain And Manager?

It would have been tough for Fernando Santos to make the big call of dropping Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench in an important knockout match but the decision made no impact on the team’s performance. And it wasn’t the first time that Ronaldo was sent to the bench.

What Football Pundits Have To Say About Ronaldo’s Dropping?

Manager Fernando Santos Benched Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo was earlier dropped by Juventus and Manchester United managers. The latest incident was with Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag. It was said that Erik Ten Hag tried to make a move on Ronaldo. The manager tried to establish his authority over Ronaldo.

Neville, who has played alongside Ronaldo for a brief period at Manchester United, said on ITV that was Jeventus manager wrong. Was Manchester United’s manager wrong? Was Portugal’s manager wrong? He blamed Ronaldo’s indifferent attitude towards Santos for the incident.

But the former Manchester United player also tried to defend Ronaldo by saying that Ronaldo’s long-term legacy was set. He called Ronaldo one of the great all-time players. He further said that in the short term, Ronaldo had got to do a lot better. He said that the … Read the rest

Manchester United Enters European League Semifinals But Worried About AS Roma

Manchester United secured a place in the European League semifinals by beating Granada 2-0. It will now face AS Roma that seems a tough nut to crack. Also, the United manager has admitted that AS Roma had lots of history.

What did the Manchester United manager say about AS Roma?

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised AS Roma while saying that it was a club with lots of history. He said that United were in the semifinals and it felt like a property European tie because of AS Roma. But he exhibited confidence in his team by saying that they had done well against Italian sides before. He further said that they were going into that hoping to get to the final. If they could finish the season with a trophy that would be great, maintained Solskjaer.

How is the United manager preparing for the upcoming matches?

Solskjaer allowed Marcus Rashford to recuperate from his foot injury. The manager wants the striker to get ready for the Burnley clash on 18th April, Sunday. Also, he took Paul Pogba off after the French midfielder got booked at halftime. Solskjaer said that Paul went into a couple of tackles even after getting a yellow card. But Solskjaer didn’t want to risk his midfielder.

How United players rate AS Roma?

Bruno Fernandes was confident that United would beat AS Roma. He said that every team gave problems. The Portugal midfielder also said that AS Roma had a good organization defensively and they could create problems offensively.

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United Was All Praise For Crystal Palace After The Wednesday Draw

Manchester United finished second on 51 points from 27 games after the Wednesday match with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The match ended on a draw despite both the contestants getting plenty of opportunities to score goals. United is 14 points behind Manchester City that still has a derby game at hand. But Crystal Palace stands on the 13th with only 34 points.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seemed most disappointed

It was a third successive 0-0 draw in all competitions for United. They failed miserably despite having their best striker Edison Cavani who missed the last four games due to a muscle injury.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said that it was disappointing. They were just a little bit off. He further said that if the team weren’t on spot, they won’t win games. Palace had always made hard for United.

United has just came into their form after winning Real Sociedad with 4-0 after a goalless Stalemate with Chelsea. But the Wednesday match again pushed the United into uncertainty. They lost the edge they are known for.

Manager Solskjaer accepted that Palace is a good team and that Palace made United play the way they want to. He said that in the second half they never got going.

Opportunities missed in the game

The first opportunity came for United in the 14th minute with Cavani skied a close-range shot over the bar. The second chance was missed in the 44th minute when Joel Ward denied Cavani a tap-in from three meters.

Palace missed an opportunity in the 90th minute when Patrick van Aanholt was engaged one-on-one with United goalkeeper but Dean Henderson came to … Read the rest

A Goalless Draw Takes United To Europa League Last 16

Manchester United had to contend with a goalless draw against Real Sociedad at Old Trafford on Thursday. But it couldn’t prevent the Man U team from progressing to the Europa League round of 16.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s knew that his team would reach the next level as they were leading 4-0 from the first leg of the league. Also, he was confident of the players like Bruno Fernandes and Anthony Martial.

Missing goals

Manchester United

Real Sociedad missed the first goal opportunity in the 13th minute when they were awarded with a penalty kick for a clumsy challenge from Daniel James of the United. But captain Mikel Oyarzabal sent the ball too wide of the goal.

It was United’s turn to score a goal on the 24th minute when Bruno Fernandes spotted the Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro off his line and tried to send the ball into the net but the shot was crushed at the crossbar.

In 36th minute, Remiro provided James an opportunity to score a goal when he saved a lofted from Fernandes but James failed with his headed effort.

Man U got another opportunity to score a goal in 63rd minute when a firm headed goal by their substitute Axel Tuanzebe was ruled out of VAR. It resulted from Victor Lindelof had fouling Job Bautista.

Manchester United introduced Shola Shoretire

United-To-Europa-League

The Red Devils launched their youngest player, Shola, in the 76th minute. At 17, Shola is the youngest player of United to play in a European game. Solskjaer said that Shola had got some skills and attributes and that he could become a good player.

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Newcastle United Still Hopeful After Losing the Eighth Match With 3-1 To Manchester United

Manchester United changed the Premiere League equations by beating Newcastle United by 3-1. With this win, Man U occupies the second spot with 49 points from games. United is now 10 points behind Manchester City but it is much ahead of third-placed Leicester City on goal difference.

Where does Newcastle United stand on points tally?

It was the eighth defeat of Newcastle in 10 games but it is still secure in the league. In points, The Magpies have 25 points and they stand on 17th position that is three ahead of Fulham that is on the last relegation spot.

What was the sequence of goal scoring?

First, it was the England forward, Marcus Rashford, who scored the first goal for Man U in the 30th minute by displaying neat footwork. Six minutes later, the Newcastle took advantage of a poor clearance by Harry Maguire when its Allan Saint-Maximin shot the first goal for the visitors.

Man U looked more determined in the second half when they scored two more goals in the 57th and 74th minutes by Daniel James and Bruno Fernandes respectively. Manchester United allowed little room to Newcastle in the second half and it was evident in their game.

Newcastle United v Manchester United - Premier League

What was Newcastle manager’s reaction to the match?

Newcastle manager Steve Bruce looked more confident when he said that his side would remain in the top-flight and that there was a lot to be decided in the league. He said that he was convinced that his team would be safe as they only needed winning a few games.

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Southampton Received Fourth Consecutive Defeat Of The Season

Manchester United scored the biggest win of the season against Southampton who they beat with 9-0. With this win, Man United have come on equal footing with their arch rival Man City that have played to games less and that has an opportunity to take a lead after their Wednesday match.

A crushing defeat for Southampton

The score gap was big enough for the Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl to publicly accept that his boys were no match for those of Man United. He made a statement saying that those 90-minutes of the match were long enough to stand before Man United as they were unstoppable. But he put the blame for this humiliating defeat on the removal of his star player.

Removal of Alexandre Jankewitz

Southampton had many hopes from their 19-year-old player but he was sent back to pavilion with a red card in the first two minutes of the game. Alexandre Jankewitz was playing his debutant game when he was shown a red card within two minutes into the game. The charge levied against him was a rash challenge on Scott McToinay and the referee was quick to take note of the incident.

The season started with good note for Southampton

It was the fourth straight loss for the Saints resulting in 12th spot drop in their rankings. But Southampton were doing well in the beginning when they defeated the defending champions Liverpool in January. Southampton manager made a point that removal of Alexandre Jankewitz crippled the injured team permanently.

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