DBasia.news – The spotlight is on Cristiano Ronaldo every time a Premier League game is played, as he is the star who has fueled the competition this season.
In the midst of inconsistency in the performance of the Red Devils who have lost eight times in their latest Premier League matches at Old Trafford, Ronaldo is a relief with his five goals so far in all competitions.
Everton have won just one of their last 12 Premier League games against United in 2019 (five draws, six defeats). In addition, Rafael Benitez has also lost seven times and won twice at Old Trafford as a coach.
However, the current standings do not lie. Everton have the same points as United (13 points) and are only separated by goal difference. United’s bad record at Old Trafford can be exploited by Everton.
The victory of West Ham United and Aston Villa at Old Trafford is proof that United are still unstable playing there. Even so, Benitez remains wary of the quality of the squad directed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ronaldo is the most dangerous player from United even though he is 36 years old. However, Benitez did not prepare his team just to stop Ronaldo.
“I think Cristiano (Ronaldo) is a great professional at his age, he is still great. He is doing very well, so we have to keep an eye on him, but we have to keep an eye on the whole team.”
“I said before that they have so many good players. And anyone can make a difference. So we have to concentrate from the first minute to the last minute.”
“You can’t concentrate on just one player, even if he’s as good as Cristiano, when they have so many good players that it’s enough to change the course of the game.
“So we have to have a game plan to try to stop them and try to be positive and score goals. But not just Cristiano because the other players can score if they want.”
Benitez, who had coached Ronaldo at Real Madrid, was also not surprised by Ronaldo’s prime condition at that age. He saw it as a true example of professionalism.
“No, not really (no wonder Ronaldo is still in great shape), because when I coached him at Real Madrid, he was one of the best professionals, so he always trains well, is always available, always takes care of his body and then I think that’s a professional example.” said Benitez.