Futbol Chronicles: Ronaldo's Departure the End Of Manchester's Dominance?

Manchester United will surely not be the same club ever again, now that it seems Cristiano Ronaldo will finally be out of the picture.

It won't be the same club come this August, and I can assure you, that most Red Devils fans are now in a state of shock and panic over the announced move of Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

Imagine the Champions League Final a year from now: it's Real Madrid playing against Manchester United, but only this time Ronaldo is playing for the other side, a scenario that has legions of Manchester United haters salivating.

Manchester will surely look like an entirely different team by this Fall, something of which fans in the Premier League will notice right away, but the question that still remains is whether Manchester can still reclaim their place as the best club in Europe or in the Premiership.

Another question that fans and experts would be dying to answer is whether Chelsea, Liverpool, or even Manchester City can finally break the deadlock characterized by United's dominance for over the last 15 seasons. 

Arsenal may have the best chance with its current crop of young players and an expert coach in Arsene Wenger, and with the news of Ronaldo' imminent departure, Arsenal may feel it has the chance to reclaim the top spot from its deadly rivals.

Another club that is threatening to make its mark in Premiership football is United's cross-town rival, Manchester City, who believe they can reign in players as well with their vast sums of money and major plans for English and European domination.

The Eastlands side would surely look to eclipse the Red Devils at some point of the upcoming season, but the potential battle between the two Mancunian sides promises to deliver a top-notch cracker for local fans as well as Premier League followers.

Manchester City have been languishing in the shadow of its neighbor for over three decades, and City supporters may finally thank the football gods that their squad in a few short years can provide silverware if Mark Hughes can deliver on his promise of success. 

The real losers of this whole thing of course are the Manchester United supporters and followers of the Premier League.

Ronaldo will surely be an entertaining performer at Madrid in La Liga, but his style of play and football technique would be a wonderful sight to behold in the type of football that Spanish Premiera teams are known for.

Manchester can right the ship by signing two or four players at the minimum, but Ronaldo's departure would be hard for the Red Devils to fix.

They may turn to Ribery and Valencia as cover, and possibly bring up players from their reserve teams to compete for sports in the midfield and attacking positions.

Manchester would have to change its structure in terms of how players are played, but more importantly, it would require that Ferguson be at least creative in finding a formula that may work for a post-Ronaldo squad. 

Stay tuned...