The Cristiano Ronaldo form has been a source of debate for many football lovers all over the world.
Ideally, the question should be as to how the form of the Portuguese team can be improved, rather than focusing on an individual, but then, Ronaldo is not an ordinary individual.
The Cristiano Ronaldo form hasn’t necessarily been bad, as Ronaldo scored a brace against Uzbekistan a few days ago, but Portugal has failed to score in two matches, either side of the Uzbekistan match.
Portugal’s iconic number seven was able to take a solitary shot at the Colombian goal during the entire 90 minutes of the match, as the game ended in a goalless draw.
As Ronaldo remains an intrinsic part of the Portugal starting XI at the age of 41 and in his sixth World Cup, his performances remain crucial for his team’s fate, as they prepare to clash with Croatia in a few days in the Round of 32.
Cristiano Ronaldo Form: How Can Portugal’s Number Seven Change His Team’s Fortunes?
Ronaldo is supremely fit for a 41-year-old and has still got the finishing touch, as it was evident in the match against Uzbekistan.
It has to be remembered in this context that Ronaldo got himself into a position to score twice in the match against DR Congo, but his efforts failed to hit the target.
That goes on to show that Ronaldo’s reflexes are still good, and he can be dangerous if he gets that extra fraction of a second inside the opposition penalty box.
However, most of the teams are not going to be as accommodating as Uzbekistan, who were playing in their first-ever World Cup.
Ronaldo’s age and, if one may say so, his stature as a player, mean that he can get away with not falling back to defend or not pressing the opposition centre-backs.
However, if he is to improve his form, he has to move out of the opposition penalty box often enough to create space for other players to get involved.
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Cristiano Ronaldo Form: Portugal’s Midfielders Operate From Deeper Positions
Portugal have a brilliant midfield comprising of Vitinha, Joao Neves and Bruno Fernandes. However, both Vitinha and Joao Neves prefer to operate from deeper positions in the midfield for Portugal, as they do for their club, Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG, however, have a very mobile and flexible front-three of Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, with Doue and Dembele often interchanging positions.
Hence, the entire area of the final third is frequently traversed by their front-three despite Vitinha and Joao Neves staying relatively deep.
The case is not the same for Portugal.
Ronaldo is stationed inside the penalty box, always in search of that elusive cross from the flanks. Pedro Neto and Joao Felix, the first-choice wingers, are not as comfortable getting into the box, and they are running alongside the flanks, especially Neto.
Rafael Leao and Francisco Conceicao are more comfortable making those runs through the channels, but they get their chances in the second half only, typically.
Hence, it is up to Ronaldo to move out of the box and play one-two passes with Bruno Fernandes and also thereby make space for the latter to get into a goal-scoring position.
Alternatively, he can also play triangle-shaped one-touch passes, also involving Vitinha or Joao Neves and Bruno Fernandes to breach the opposition defence and get into the box to unsettle his markers.
In the Portugal vs Croatia match and against other big teams, however, Ronaldo might not encounter a low block all the time, which means his speed from counter-attacks and Fernandes’ ability to find him with through passes might turn out to be crucial.
The Cristiano Ronaldo form cannot improve by some magic touch. However, staying inside the box all the time will make his markers’ job easier.
Only by trying something dynamic can the Cristiano Ronaldo form improve, and he can disrupt the opposition defence. The Portuguese supporters will hope that the Cristiano Ronaldo form will improve in the Portugal vs Croatia match and in the matches that will follow.
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