Manchester United: Life Without a Ferrari Isn't That Bad

All I have heard from football fans everywhere is Manchester United are doomed without Ronaldo. To this there is some truth, Ronaldo was a player of extreme talent and had a nose for goal like few we have seen, yet in the most team-first sport in the world he is still only one player. 

Ronaldo's ability to change the game with his pace and aggression on the offensive side of the ball is a commodity that any team would like to have, along with his talents on free kicks he is a player to be reckoned with. With his mesmerizing skill and flare he is still but a single player on a team of 11.

Manchester United have had his kind before. The likes of Beckham and Ruud and their timely exits have been brought up by most United supporters as a way to calm this sense of impending doom that looms over the next EPL season without the Portuguese golden boy.

To these comparisons I have to baulk a little.

Ruud and Beckham as well as other have all gotten the axe from Sir Alex after some of their most effective seasons for the Red Devils but they were brilliant players on the decline of their careers—all be it the very beginning of the decline, but still the decline.

Ronaldo is in the prime of his career and as much as I dislike the move to Madrid as a Man Utd fan I accept it. He wanted to leave and I never bought his act during this past season where he claimed to want to remain at Old Trafford.

Ronaldo's goal production was nothing less than astounding, and as much as might be said otherwise it was much appreciated, maybe not as much as he may have wanted but still appreciated.

The 92 goals over three seasons is a large sum to make up when they all came from one source but this is where I and many Man. Utd. supporters differ from the rest of the football world. We have a world class team of world class players without him.

Sure there are now holes that are more apparent than they were before but every club team has a weak point on the field. Even the mighty Real Madrid can't seem to buy them selves a solid LB to play opposite Ramos and anyone who says Heinze is quality need only watch Real in the Champions League or against Barca last year to see otherwise.

Manchester has talent and a lot of it to step up in place of Ronaldo. Many have pointed to Wayne Rooney. I fully believe that Rooney is more than up to the challenge to put in his consistent 10 goals a year in the EPL and another 10 to 15 goals of the Ronaldo goal deficit.

To all the nay sayers of Rooney I have only a few things to say. In the system and formation that Carlos Queiroz (old man utd asst manager / new Portugal manager) put together during these past three years was built for Ronaldo to prosper. It took Rooney out of his natural position and even forced him to play a winger/RB role in more than a few games for the good of the team.

It turned him into a pass first and cross into the box striker to compliment Roanldo's talent in the air. Rooney is a world class striker and will enter this season health for the first time in a long while bar any mishaps while he and England finish up a perfect record in World Cup qualifying this summer where Rooney has been nothing short of brilliant, netting 10 goals the most since '91 for an England player.

Rooney along with Berba both playing in their natural positions on the field together this coming season will bring both strikers to their full potential creating a 30 to 40 goal combination (had 21 last year between them).

Without the offense running through the flop machine that was and is Ronaldo, Rooney and Berba along with other players will see the ball more and be told to take more shots for themselves.

I still have hope for the other Portuguese flash that has been sitting on the bench at Old Trafford, Nani. Nani is everything that Ronaldo was without the goal scoring touch, which is fine he is a natural winger and will get the ball to Rooney and others that have the talent to finish.

I would like to see more depth in the midfield and defensive positions along with another quality striker for when Rooney and Berba need rest, because its is near certain Tevez—a player which I can not say enough about—is bound to leave despite what every Utd supporter wants.

Wigan's Valencia would be a welcomed addition but besides a feeble attempt at filling the gap left by Ronaldo I have yet to see any other honest transfer talk coming out of Manchester.

The key to remember is that the only starter that Manchester have lost is Ronaldo and possible Tevez the super sub with starting talent. Both players any team would rather keep but other than that Rooney, Berba, Anderson, Carrick, Vidic, Rio, Evra, Van der Sar, the core of the team is still intact.

With aging wisdom coming off the bench in Scholes and Giggs combined with young talent in Nani, Anderson, Rafael, Possebon, Gibson, and Welbeck I am not worried.

A new formation and style of play that uses all the talent that is STILL at Manchester will keep the league champions in the top three of the league and still garner Champion League success that any club in Europe would be proud of.