Antonio Conte, Tottenham’s manager, takes his Tottenham side to Old Trafford knowing that Cristiano Ronaldo’s failures still pose the greatest threat to his side.
Ronaldo fired Manchester UnitedA league double over SpursLast season, which included a spectacular hat-trick at Old Trafford in march.
Ronaldo was the second-oldest Premier League player to score a hat trick, after Teddy Sheringham, a former Tottenham and United striker.
And Conte has not forgotten Ronaldo’s display in that game, declaring: “We lost to him, not United last season.”
It was arguably Ronaldo’s best all-round performance since his spectacular return to the club in 2021 and indicative of how he previously dragged Real Madrid to Champions League finals when all seemed bleak.
Those throwback moments have been rarer than ever, especially since Erik ten Hag banished the Portuguese star from the club’s bench following his unsuccessful move to Portugal this summer.
Amazingly, Ronaldo scored more goals against Tottenham than he did in all 12 games this term.
The 37-year old scored two times in all competitions and tallied against Sheriff in Europa League. Everton In the Premier League
Whilst his stats don’t make for impressive reading, Conte will be plotting a way to stop Ronaldo from putting his side to the sword as he has so many times during his career.
At a time when many feel obliged to write off his impact, Conte knows the five-time Ballon d’Or winner still has the weapons to disrupt Spurs’ title ambitions.
“Last season he scored a hat-trick against us. We’re talking about an incredible player, a top player. We’re talking about a player who continues to make a difference for the team in which he plays,” Conte said ahead of the trip to Old Trafford.
“I have a lot of admiration for Cristiano, for his professionalism, but I hope he will remain calm, not like last season, when he scored three goals. We lost 3-2 but lost to him and not United. I remember that very well, because we played a very good game.”
Ronaldo’s influence on this fixture runs deep having scored eight Premier League goals against Spurs, including six in his last three games, meaning Conte’s side are his most prolific opponents.
His goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last October set a United side – under the gaze of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – on their way to a comfortable 3-0 win.
Ronaldo’s exploits that night plunged further doom and gloom on Spurs and as a result, Nuno Espirito Santo was relieved of his duties as manager.
It was not all roses at Old Trafford. United were thrashed 5 to 1 by Liverpool at Old Trafford last week, and the vultures were looking for the Norwegian manager.
The Manchester Evening NewsUnited was planning to swoop in for Conte, but they opted against it after Ronaldo opposed it.
According to reports, the United chiefs consulted the major players at the club regarding the appointment of a boss. Ronaldo was reportedly blocking any move to make for the Italian.
The Red Devils’ loss was Tottenham’s gain as Ronaldo’s opener in the 3-0 win, led to Spurs appointing Conte whilst allowing Solskjaer more time to turn around the Red Devils’ underwhelming fortunes.
Conte moved Spurs up to the top four, taking them from ninth to fourth. United is a year behind them in their pursuit to close the gap and are now able to boast Champions League football.
Ronaldo was the difference maker in the dugout last campaign and it is not hard to imagine him being the troublemaker for Tottenham again on Wednesday night.
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