Elusive CL qualification
Record man causes embarrassing united bankruptcy
4/9/2022 at 4:48 pm
For Manchester United, the hoped-for qualification for the Champions League is further and further away. After the bitter bankruptcy of relegation candidate Everton, that belief should slowly disappear. It is very likely that the big club will not play internationally at all next season.
Coach Ralf Rangnick and star Cristiano Ronaldo are facing increasing problems with Manchester United in the fight for a place in the Champions League. At Everton, the Red Devils lost 0-1 (0-1) in the Premier League. Anthony Gordon scored the only goal of the match in the 27th minute after Harry Maguire saved a shot that was difficult to stop. For Frank Lampard’s side, who have lost five of their six matches recently, there were three important points in the battle against relegation.
Maguire continued his misfortune streak with a bitter goal, to which he contributed greatly with his back: for months, the England captain had been chasing the rank that made him the world’s most expensive defender when he switched from Leicester City to Manchester United in 2019.
Shortly before the match, even professional Bayern Munich player Alfonso Davies joked about the scoring man: “Guys, can you imagine it? Take a look: you’re Ronaldo. One of the greatest players ever. In the 21st century. What’s your name?” said Davies. Confused, who later asserted that he “doesn’t want Harry Maguire now to ditch ‘Captain?’ Harry Maguire is your captain. Curious: After conceding, Maguire complained about a handball by Nemanja Matic – his teammate.
Running is getting scarier
From the group of United stars around Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba, there was not enough throughout the match. Ten minutes before the end of the match, Pogba attempted a long-range shot that Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was able to hold on to.
In seventh place in the table, England’s record champions are getting closer and closer to qualifying for the European Cup. At least three points are missing from fourth place, the last place that qualifies them for their long-awaited participation in the Champions League. However, Tottenham Hotspur played one game less and Arsenal London played two games less. So the gap can still grow. Manchester United have won only one of their last seven competitive matches.
Qualification for the Champions League is the stated goal of Rangnick, who took charge of the squad, which was strengthened before the season with former Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho and Ronaldo, in November in eighth place from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. “We want to finish fourth in the league, and that’s the highest goal we can achieve,” Rangnick declared in February. “We definitely want to get to the Champions League, but it won’t be easy.” Now everything has become more complicated.