Why Cristiano Ronaldo and Antonio Conte is UNWORKABLE
Carlo Garganese
- 26 Oct 2021 11:46 BST
- 5 min read
The majority of Manchester United fans would be delighted to see Antonio Conte walk through the doors at Old Trafford.
Given the club has gone over four years without winning a trophy and more than eight without claiming the Premier League, there is no better man to change this trend than the Italian.
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Conte is a serial winner who has lifted an incredible five league titles in seven seasons with Juventus, Chelsea and Inter.
However, there is one man who may be unhappy to see Conte arrive in Manchester; a certain Cristiano Ronaldo.
It was reported in the Italian media back in 2019 that Ronaldo had blocked the return of Conte to Juventus when the Serie A giants were looking for a successor to Max Allegri. In the end, Juve appointed Maurizio Sarri.
But from a tactical and physical point of view, there are serious concerns over whether Ronaldo and Conte can work together.
Does Ronaldo work hard enough for Conte?
Conte is renowned as possibly the toughest taskmaster in football. He runs his players into the ground in training and in matches and demands maximum workrate from everyone.
The coach expects all 11 players in his team to run for each other from the first whistle until the last. He wants his teams to play with intensity and he demands that his attackers press from the front and are the first line of defence.
Conte does not accept any passengers as he understands that in modern football, if only one player of the team does not contribute to pressing then the whole system falls apart.
These are all concepts that are alien to Ronaldo, who at the age of approaching 37 can no longer run, press and work hard.
READ MORE: HOW MAN UTD WILL LINE UP WITH CONTE
Indeed, a damning report from the Daily Mail a fortnight ago illustrated just how little Ronaldo contributes to the Man Utd team in terms of running, pressing and defending.
Ahead of the Champions League match with Atalanta last week, it was revealed that Ronaldo was the worst presser in the entire Premier League among attackers who had played 270 minutes or more this season.
Ronaldo was making 2.85 pressures per game. This was by a long distance the lowest among his attacking peers, with Alain Saint-Maximin the next worst with six pressure per 90 minutes.
His numbers in the Champions League also made for grim reading, with his average distance covered per game just 3.7 miles.
This placed him 68th out of the 72 forwards in the Champions League when it comes to distance covered per match.
Compare Ronaldo’s 3.7 miles per game with Yannick Carrasco (8 miles), Thomas Muller (7), Neymar (6.6), Robert Lewandowski (6.3), Mohamed Salah (6.2) and Erling Haaland (6.0).
READ MORE: WINNERS & LOSERS OF CONTE TAKING MAN UTD JOB
These kind of numbers from Ronaldo are completely unacceptable to Conte, regardless of the fact that the attacker’s goalscoring stats are impressive since returning to Man Utd.
Ronaldo has scored six goals in nine games this season, including a trademark headed winner in the 3-2 comeback victory against Atalanta.
But Conte always places the team above the individual. This is how he has built his success in management. It has enabled him to punch above his weight and get the best out of squads and players who on paper had no business challenging or winning major trophies.
He would much rather a less talented player - like Eder, Victor Moses, Emmanuele Giaccherini or Matteo Darmian - who never stops running and carries out his tactical instructions perfectly than a supremely gifted individual who plays for himself and doesn’t work.
This could be the biggest issue with Ronaldo, who for the last few years has required the team play for him rather than the other way around.
For this reason, do not be surprised if Conte drops Ronaldo altogether and utilises him more as a super-sub to bring on when the tempo has dropped in the second half. Such an arrangement is unlikely to be accepted by Ronaldo, though.
Conte prefers traditional number 9
Conte also wants his number 9 to be the focal point of the attack. He generally prefers big forwards who can hold up the ball, play with their back to play and bring others into the game. Graziano Pelle for Italy, Diego Costa for Chelsea and Romelu Lukaku for Inter are the archetypal Conte forward; they play for the team and they make their teammates play better.
Ronaldo is not this kind of forward, so the question is whether Conte can find a different role in the team for him. In a 3-4-3, this seems unlikely. In a 3-5-2, this could be more possible.
Either way, Cristiano Ronaldo will likely be praying that Conte doesn’t get appointed at Man Utd.
