From the highs of triumph to the lows of defeat – this was a week that had it all.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s return will go down as one of the iconic moments of recent Manchester United history.
Defeat at Young Boys certainly will not.
Whilst the defeat has been met with all the usual hyperbole that one would expect from such a result, it serves as an obvious reminder that not even Ronaldo will make United immune from the misfortunes of football.
A triumphant return for Ronaldo
It really could not have gone any better.
Even from my television screen on the other side of the world, it was impossible not be captured by the wall of noise that emanated from the speakers as Old Trafford raised to its feet to welcome a living legend finally returning home.
I daresay most United fans never really thought Ronaldo would pull on the famous red shirt (outside of maybe a charity game) when he departed Old Trafford in 2009 for Real Madrid.
But for those who did dare to believe, I doubt that even in their heads Ronaldo’s return would have been as perfect as what was dished up on Saturday.
Even the Newcastle United equaliser had a role to play in this fairy-tale return, for it set the scene for Ronaldo to play the hero once more, striking – just as he did earlier in the game – to put United ahead for the second time on the day.
The result, 4-1, perhaps did slightly favour United overall, but it was a just homecoming for the Portuguese legend.
Varane: Rolls Royce Defender
Much has been made of United’s short comings in midfield and whilst these would have ideally been addressed in the transfer window, we can at least be thankful that Raphael Varane is marshalling things at the back.
It’s early days for the Frenchman at Old Trafford, but he is already showcasing his class.
And boy, does Ole Gunnar Solskjaer need him.
Over the first four games of the season, we have seen gaping holes in United’s midfield. Thankfully, Varane’s supreme ability to read the game and his overall stewardship of the United defence has helped to manage those spaces.
It is – at best – paper over an enormous crack. But it will be the difference between three points and one – or even zero – plenty of times this season.
Ole’s midfield questions
Five games in and five different starting midfield pivots.
The trouble for Solskjaer at this point is that he seems no closer to understanding which is his best.
The reality is that every game will have unique demands. Lacking an obvious starting duo behind United’s ridiculously stacked front four, the challenge for Solskjaer may well be finding the right pair for the individual demands of a game.
Thus far, the due that has enjoyed the best game has been Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic in the 4-1 win over Newcastle United.
Matic – whilst ponderously slow – was a fantastic foil for Pogba in a game where United would enjoy most of the possession and territory. It’s a shame that is the wrong side of 30, because prime Matic is probably exactly what this United midfield needs.
Fred, who returned to partner Donny Van De Beek in what was the Dutchman’s first start of the season against Young Boys in the Champions League, was much improved against the Swiss side, but with Aaron Wan Bissaka’s red card forcing Solskjaer into a half-time reshuffle, it is hard to judge whether the uncanny duo is a good fit moving forward.
Van De Beek was yet again a victim of circumstance as the red card once again robbed him of a golden opportunity to prove his worth in a deep-lying role.
McTominay also offers a different option.
It’s clear the midfield is the one area of the park without genuine depth – or perhaps even genuine world class options at all – but there is seemingly enough there to do the minimum required job of protecting the United defence and supplying enough ammunition to what should be a very potent forward line.
Defeat in Switzerland
Terrible result? Yes.
Average performance? Yes.
End of the world? No.
The loss against Young Boys was a shock and it was certainly not the ideal start to United’s Champions League campaign and even the biggest of Solskjaer’s defenders would struggle to make a good case for his record in the competition.
However, in isolation, this game seemed more a night of misfortune that abject play.
Wan Bissaka’s red card for a 50/50 challenge was unfortunate at best, particularly given a very similar Young Boys challenge on the stroke of half time was only met with a yellow card.
Ronaldo was also denied a penalty for contact that would surely have been deemed a foul anywhere else on the park.
And the eventual winning goal only came through the most unimaginable of brain fades from Jesse Lingard, who only a few days earlier was celebrating his own triumphant return to Old Trafford.
That’s not to say there aren’t things that United can’t learn from or need to improve on, however, given the circumstances, it would perhaps make more sense to see how the next few weeks pan out before deciding whether or not this season is doomed or not.
