Sir Alex Ferguson's Tactical Dilemma with Manchester United

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

The departure of Cristiano Ronaldo leaves a huge hole in the Manchester United team. In a recent interview, Sir Alex Ferguson admitted as much when he said, "There’s no doubt he’s a huge loss. I think it’s a challenge for us. It won’t be the same without Ronaldo. It can’t be."

Ronaldo's incredible asset was that he was effectively two players in one: A pacy dangerous winger and a potent striker. This allowed United to play a fluid 4-3-3 with Rooney, Tevez, and Ronaldo interchanging effectively the roles of strikers and wingers.

In essence, there was no designated striker in many games, but the player playing as the frontman varied on the situation of a match or the opposition.

Valencia and Obertan are more traditional wingers and will not provide the same goal threat as Ronaldo, and Ferguson admitted himself that Owen will not be first pick, but used in the squad rotation system.

This presents United with a big dilemma on how they will line up next season.

Will Ferguson revert back to a 4-4-2, with Rooney and Berbatov up front?

And what role will Wayne Rooney play? The main front man with Berbatov in behind, or as a left winger, which allowed Ronaldo the freedom to be at his most devastating?

One thing is for certain: Rooney needs to take on the mantle as the focal point of the United team like Ronaldo did so well.

Perhaps a more predictable lineup for United will be Ferguson continuing with the 4-3-3 formation, with Valencia playing right wing, Rooney interchanging between forward and winger, and Berbatov/Owen as the main front man.

This could also be tweaked slightly for big games, with Park providing extra defensive support on the left hand side of midfield. In effect, the system would be changed to a 4-5-1, with Rooney as the lone front man.

One suspects that Carrick and Darren Fletcher (and Hargreaves when he returns) will be the main stays of the United midfield, providing defensive protection as well as the drive going forward. United will also look to Anderson and Giggs to provide some creative edge in midfield.

Even with departure of Ronaldo, the United team does have a lot of flexibility in the way it can play with the players it has. Given a particular game, it could easily play a 4-4-2, 4-3-3, or a 4-5-1.

But the main problem will be to replace the brilliance of Ronaldo.

For example, does United have someone who could head the ball as good as Ronaldo in attack? It is a big challenge for Ferguson, as he admitted.

Make no mistake, Ronaldo was a great player for United, and it will need a lot of its players to step up to replace his presence.

Not only is it Rooney's job, but also the likes of Nani and Anderson, who have been on the fringes of the United squad and have an opening to make a name for themselves. The same goes for Macheda, Tosic, and Welbeck who will get more opportunities this season.

In Ferguson, though, United has a trump card. Because if anyone can motivate a team after the loss of a talisman and motivate young players to step up, it is Alex Ferguson.

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