Wednesday, November 03, 2021
Ole is amazed: “Like Michael Jordan”
Ronaldo’s dramatic rescue mission
By Stephan Uersfeld
Once again, Cristiano Ronaldo saves Manchester United. His two goals in the game at Atalanta Bergamo continue to mask the serious problems of coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He digs through his memory after the 2-2 in Italy and compares the Portuguese with Michael Jordan.
Cristiano Ronaldo was likely not signed to save Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s job. Again and again. Every week. In every game. But that’s his goddamn job now. So also in the duel in the Champions League at Atalanta Bergamo.
The clock in Bergamo was ticking down, 2: 1 for the host. For the English giant club and for the enumerated coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose future in the theater of dreams has been in the balance for a long time when the coronavirus pandemic has kept the world in suspense. But he saves himself. Nobody likes to dismiss legends, as well as legends who owe one of the most spectacular comebacks in football history, the seemingly unreal 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final.
But those times are long gone. Solskjaer does not deliver reliably. His game idea hardly exists. Even he does not manage to bring something like success back to the giant, which has grown into the largest club in the world under Sir Alex Ferguson and has been shrinking since his departure in 2013. The last title dates from 2017. A title in the lower tier Europa League, hard won against Ajax Amsterdam. Then only despair, transfer drama and a huge gap between your own claims and the services actually provided.
Solskjaer is an escape artist
Manchester United are fighting for acceptance and the coaches, who are called managers in England, fight for survival for most of their terms of office. You tried David Moyes, but it was found too easy. Then Louis van Gaal came on the last groove of his career and he was followed by the discontinued model José Mourinho, who at least brought the Europa League and the FA Cup to the theater of dreams, and then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has been under attack ever since could still save himself.
Just like last weekend in the 3-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur, who then put their coach Nuno Espírito Santo in front of the door. Spurs signed Italian Antonio Conte on Tuesday, who might have become Manchester United’s next coach if Tottenham had a 3-0 win. There, too, after the 0: 5 against Liverpool, the signs were again on separation from Solskjaer. He saved himself. So he had the opportunity to make his entry into the knockout phase of the Champions League almost perfectly in yesterday’s game at Atalanta Bergamo. A victory would have come to it. However, a defeat would have greatly complicated the task.
After 90 minutes, however, it looked like it. Atalanta went into five-minute added time with a 2-1 lead. They had twice overcome the again erratic defensive rows around captain Harry Maguire and the French world champion Paul Pogba, only Cristiano Ronaldo had managed to give something like an answer in stoppage time in the first half. But after 90 minutes Atalanta had overtaken United in the table.
Ronaldo is buying time
A few final attacks were still pending. Substitute Mason Greenwood put on CR7. He volleyed the ball outside the penalty area and chased it into the lower left corner. 2: 2. Goal Ronaldo. In the last few minutes. Like against Villarreal and in the first leg against Atalanta. The Portuguese has now scored five goals in four games (and 139 goals in his entire Champions League career) in the current Champions League season. With three of the five goals he saved United the win against Villarreal, with the other two the win against Atalanta in the first leg and one point in the second leg, makes a total of five points. United has seven. Easy to work out what that means.
After the game, 36-year-old Ronaldo took a realistic look at what had just happened. “In the end we were a bit lucky, but that’s football. We still have to improve, we have different players, a different system. We still have to get used to each other. That takes time. We have time to improve and get better “said the Portuguese, who had just bought something from that time for his coach.
And the Norwegian cheered. “He’s unbelievable and if there’s anyone who’s supposed to get a ball at the last minute, he is. Ronaldo is the best goalscorer in the world,” said Solskjaer, then pulled back a lot. “The last goal: It must be a Michael Jordan moment if he wins championships in extra time.” Solskjaer’s euphoria can now be understood. But Ronaldo had not won a championship, but only given the Norwegian a few more weeks on the sidelines.