Pep Guardiola made sure not to give too much away at his Friday news conference as the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer drama hurtled on at pace. The Manchester City manager spoke warmly of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s talents and was non-committal over the prospect of bringing him to the Etihad Stadium. Shortly after Guardiola’s lunchtime briefing finished, it became clear Ronaldo was on his way back to Old Trafford. Plenty of City fans reacted with relief, in part because the lavishly gifted but aging forward seemed ill-suited to the Premier League champion’s finely honed style. On reflection, Guardiola perhaps gave the game away when discussing what he demands of players in his flexible forward line. In short, there can be no passengers.
Pep Guardiola said: “Off the ball, they have to run like it was the last minute of their life. I don’t like it when I see a player who doesn’t run. I don’t like it at all. They have to convince me why the other teammates can run and this guy cannot run.If he convinces me of that and convinces his mates, maybe. If he doesn’t run for the other ones I don’t understand the theory.”
In the eyes of many, Ronaldo was set to be “this guy”. Gabriel Jesus enjoyed a restorative performance as he laid on three goals in the 5-0 win over Norwich City last weekend. However, the Brazil international’s work off the ball has never been in doubt. Time and again, he gives Guardiola exactly what he needs and Ronaldo pales by comparison. Looking at their league statistics from last season (via FBref), Jesus made 331 pressures, with 173 of those in the attacking third and 23 tackles. Despite playing almost 800 more top-flight minutes, Ronaldo made 225 pressures, 112 in the final third and nine tackles.
Pep Guardiola said: “Gabriel is the best in the world in those terms. He can play in three positions up-front, he does absolutely everything for his mates for one minute or 90 minutes – it doesn’t matter how many minutes he plays. That is why It’s a joy. I’m lucky that Manchester City got him for a good price when he was young. Hopefully the best years of him are ahead of him.”
Despite his enduring and phenomenal goal returns, it is impossible to say the same of Ronaldo. At 36, he is on the downslope, even though the view is still pretty good. There was a school of thought that Ronaldo could have tweaked his game in the way Sergio Aguero did under Guardiola, adding a selfless and intelligent work ethic to his lethal striking prowess.
