Ex-Manchester United man Louis Saha has claimed that he believes Cristiano Ronaldo “could have helped” his former side’s embarrassing 7-0 defeat to Liverpool this past weekend.
United had been on a good run of results, playing as one of the most in-form teams in Europe and even picking up their first piece of silverware in six years, Erik ten Hag‘s first for the club, with the EFL Cup.
That being said, with games coming thick and fast in the three remaining competitions, there was always going to be a blip. Still, nobody was expecting them to be on the end of a seven-goal thumping, especially given how inconsistent Jurgen Klopp’s side has been this season.
Nevertheless, their long-standing rivals went on to deliver a historic defeat — their worst result in 90 years — which ten Hag labelled as simply “unprofessional“. Now, though, with questions being asked as to how it happened and how it might have been avoided, former French striker Saha has had his say.
Speaking to Compare.bet, the 44-year-old conceded that “Ronaldo’s departure marked a fresh start for United, and it gave ten Hag a blank page to draw upon, which has allowed him to establish a winning mentality at the club”.
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However, despite insisting that “the club’s mindset has improved”, he went on to add, “I think they’d be doing even better if they had Cristiano up top. Of course, it’s hard to know for sure but when I see United losing 7-0 to Liverpool, I can only think that Cristiano could have helped.”
Despite agreeing that United’s results since the Portuguese star left have obviously improved massively, Saha continued: “It was a very difficult situation for ten Hag to deal with upon arrival at United, and it just didn’t go well. But I don’t think this is because of Cristiano, but because of the other players’ mindsets.
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“With the right communication, the right level of respect, maybe a compromise could have been found, but he’s still contributed to Man United’s resurrection by the effect he had on players around him. He boosted confidence, and gave players the freedom to express themselves, which has been a big factor in United’s improvement this season”.
On the other hand, the consensus seems to be that those in Red have directly improved as a result of the 38-year-old’s departure — hugely factoring into Marcus Rashford‘s incredible performances over the past few months, in particular.
Saha arrive just six months after Ronaldo and spent four years playing alongside him during a time in his career when he was on his way to becoming one of the best players in the world.
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More of a winger than an out-and-out back then (with the likes of Saha himself fulfilling that role at Old Trafford), it admittedly didn’t take long for Ronaldo to become a match-winner whom other players looked towards to turn things around in games; perhaps not yet a leader but certainly a focal point.
While there were certainly plenty of points rescued by the football veteran during his second spell at the club, he was regularly criticised for his lack of pressing and not tracking back to the same extent as his teammates — i.e. two of the primary reasons United lost by such a large margin on Sunday.
Do you agree with Saha that having a figure like Ronaldo on the pitch and in the dressing room would have helped, or could it hypothetically have been worse? After all, he was on the pitch for the 4-0 loss to Brentford.
Startling statistic raises eyebrows around Manchester United’s defensive capabilities under Erik ten Hag
Danny Jones
Things continue to go from bad to worse for Manchester United this season and yet more unfortunate statistics following another chaotic showing have once again put their capabilities under Erik ten Hag, especially in defence, under scrutiny.
Man United got off to a dream start at the Estádio do Dragão against Porto, starting on the front foot and scoring two goals inside 20 minutes and from two sources who needed them most: Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Højlund returning from injury.
However, it didn’t take long for the home team to pull one back – just a few minutes in fact – and then by the 50th minute the visitors suddenly found themselves losing 3-2 and chasing an equaliser into stoppage time.
Thankfully, Harry Maguire got them out of jail right at the death but it is that now apparent trend of conceding multiple goals in a short space of time that has raised even more serious questions around the team’s mentality, resilience after letting one in and ability to defend in general.
Just in Europe since the start of last season, Man United have conceded two goals in four minutes at Bayern, two in 10 mins vs Galatasaray (h), two in four minutes vs Copenhagen (a), two in nine minutes vs Galatasaray (a) and now two in seven minutes vs Porto (a).
As you can see, it’s not just that this was the 31st time since the beginning of last season that United have conceded two more goals in a match, the most any current Premier League club in that time, but it seems to be the short bursts in which these goals come.
As broken down by ESPN’s Rob Dawson, it seems to be a case of when it rains it pours as the above stat is in Europe alone, where they seem to be picking up even more bad habits on top of that immediate vulnerability after letting one in.
Despite it scoring 12 in their last four matches in Champions and Europa League competitions and even managing to go 2-0 up in three of them, they haven’t managed to win a single one, as the draw against the unconvincing Portuguese side also marked the fifth European game in which they’ve conceded a trio of goals at the other end.
Worse still, according to even more damning stats thrown up by Opta, this ultimately became the 24th time Erik ten Hag’s side has conceded three goals or more in a game – again, the most of any Premier League side and with several of those goals coming in short bursts.
Alarming stuff, but the Dutchman is keeping calm at least on the surface, telling media that he and the players are “mad and motivated” by the current situation but that fans have to remain patient and hopeful that the results will start to improve.
“Don’t judge us in this moment, wait until the end of the season. We’re in a process.”
Erik ten Hag has full belief in his squad moving forward 💪
Match hero Maguire also came to the manager’s defence in his post-match press conference but did once again hit at a problem with motivation and belief: something that both Christian Eriksen rather concerningly touched on last month, admitting that the dressing “didn’t want it enough.”
The Red Devils must now play an in-form Aston Villa who recently won late on their long-awaited Champions League away at Villa Park this weekend and, as if he didn’t need one already, a win is essential for Erik ten Hag.
What about you, United fans – how long do you think he realistically has left to turn things around?
You can watch all the highlights from Man United vs Porto down below.
Featured Images — TNT Sports/Sky Sports (via Screenshot)
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Luke Littler is holding a meet-and-greet this weekend – but not exactly where you’d expect
Danny Jones
Young darts sensation Luke Littler has about as big a 12 months as a professional could hope for and many of those who don’t even watch ‘The Arrows’ now know his name, so much so that he’s already holding a meet-and-greet that is selling quicker than you say ‘180!’
Warrington locals are set to welcome Luke ‘The Nuke’ back to his hometown but it’s fair to say the event is taking place exactly where you would have expected.
The 2024 World Series, Premier League of Darts and Players Championship winner’s fame and reputation have continued to skyrocket ever since his debut, so he’d easily have fans lining up pretty much anywhere, especially in the WA postcode.
Nevertheless, hordes of kids looking to follow in his footsteps and bolster a new generation of youth darts players can attend Luke Littler’s meet and greet at none other than… a Smyths Toys Superstore.
Credit: Smyths Toys
As you do.
Located on the JunctionNINE Retail Park, Warrington Symths Toys will see the 17-year-old taking photos with fans, chatting to budding darts hopefuls and, as it turns out, show off his new personal collection.
Yes, while there will be plenty of wholesome selfies and wide-eyed little kids looking to meet their local hero, Littler and his team chose this particular location as Smyths Toys will be stocking his new range of Target Darts.
Once again, his meteoric rise has seen a huge uptake in young people wanting to try their hands at the sport, with the official Luke Littler Cabinet Set even being named as the Judge’s Pick for ‘Best Gift for Teens’ at the 2024 Christmas Wishlist Awards.
Beyond that, the shop also has the highly sought-after Luke Littler Magnetic Dartboard set for the little one, as well as the Luke Littler Steel-Tip Brass Darts, designed in celebration of the 17-year-old’s tremendous performance at the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship.
Speaking ahead of the event, Littler said: “I’m really excited to meet everyone at Smyths Toys in Warrington this Saturday! It’s been an incredible year for me, and I can’t wait to connect with fans in my hometown and inspire the next generation.”
Adam Thompson, Head of Marketing at Target Darts added: “We’re thrilled to host this fantastic meet-and-greet event with Luke Littler. Luke has had an extraordinary year and we’re proud to celebrate his success with this special opportunity for fans to engage with him…
“It’s a great way to inspire young players and bring the darts community together and we can’t wait to see everyone in Warrington!”
The meet and greet will kick off from 1pm on Saturday, 5 October but you’ll have to be quick if you want to secure a spot. However, the store will still be open between the regular hours (9am-8pm), so you can still try your luck to try and catch a glimpse of ‘The Nuke’ and pick up a darts set or two.
Danny Jones -
8th March 2023 
