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06.01.2022 » What can we expect from Man United for the rest of the season?
We turned the page on 2021, with the promise and belief of a new, safer and better year ahead of us. The COVID-19 pandemic is still hitting us hard and the football industry is no exception. We've seen a lot of habits changing, empty stadiums and in a way or another, some of the passion for the game seems to have vanished at some points. It's important to put all of this behind and regenerate a sport that means so much to all of us. Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to lead Manchester United throughout the rest of the season and there's no time for hesitations anymore. Just like any astute gambler would never decline the chance to grab one of those generous 100 euro bonus that become available at times... The Red Devils need to adapt to their new manager's ideas and focus on what's more important moving forward...
Cristiano Ronaldo - Don't give up:
The Domestic objectives...
While nothing is still mathematically lost now that we entered in January and still have 5 months of football ahead of us, there is at least one objective that is realistically out of the equation already. We're obviously referring to the Premier League, as now United currently sits in 7th place in the standings, 22 points behind the league leaders, Manchester City.
However and what's more frustrating for United fans, is the sense that even in the event that there wasn't such a big difference in points between Man United and the clubs on the top of league, no one really believes the team is prepared to fight for the title and to win games consistently.
Rangnick took over from Solskjaer in the beginning of December, but after a full month of work in the club, the truth is that the team doesn't seem to have improved much and has even raised several worrying signs for the future.
With the title hopes virtually demolished in the Premier League, the club should realign their objectives and prepare for the always difficult challenge of finishing inside the top 4, which would immediately grant them access to next year's Champions League's group stages. This should be Man United's main objective for the rest of the season, unless something really extraordinary ends up happening in Europe...
The Premier League isn't the only competition Manchester United is playing at in England though... The Red Devils will also have a chance to get their hands into some silverware both in the FA Cup and in the League Cup. However and as we all know very well, that shouldn't be a priority and no one will really be surprised to see Rangnick rotating his team in these cup games...
The European dream...
Following a somehow successful group stages' campaign in the Champions League last year, Manchester United made it out into the knockout stages, only recording a single loss in their debut game against Young Boys, on September 14. The Red Devils then managed to outplay both Atalanta and Villarreal much thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo, winning 3 and drawing 1 of the 4 games they've played each other. As a result, the English powerhouse finished the group in the top spot and was drawn against Atletico Madrid in the last-16 round...
At this stage of the competition however, the stakes are incredibly high and there is no room for mistakes anymore. United will play Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid for now and as usual, we can expect a very combative and competitive side coming to Old Trafford. While the Red Devils may still be regarded as slight favorites going into this tie, a different scenario would wait for them in the next stages, in the event of course, that they do manage to beat Atletico when the competition resumes next February and March.
Basically and just to highlight part of the challenge that lies ahead, if Man United advances to the next stage they can still face the same demons that have been outplaying them in the Premier League so far: Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, as well as other European powerhouses such as Bayern Munich, PSG or Real Madrid. That being said, hope is the last thing to die, but Manchester United's main focus for the rest of the season should be set on finishing inside the top 4 in the Premier League...
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Manchester United is on January 10, against Aston Villa. You can watch Manchester United vs Aston Villa, Bologna vs Inter, Juventus vs Napoli, Swindon Town vs Manchester City, Arsenal vs Liverpool, and AC Milan vs AS Roma, all matches provided from our live soccer game pages.
Manchester United next game:
Manchester United vs Aston Villa kick-off time (10-01-2022):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 02:55
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 01:55
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:25
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+2: 20:55
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 20:55
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 19:55
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 15:55
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 14:55
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 11:55
Sources: ronaldo7.net / espn.com / goal.com / eurosport.com
