Ronaldo back where he belongs

Posted Saturday, September 14, 2013 by Marca.com

Cristiano Ronaldo will play in his usual position on the wing this Saturday against Villarreal. Ronaldo is happier playing in space and has expressed his desire to have more freedom to the coaching team, enabling him to make the most of his natural speed and ability to mount surprise attacks coming forward from deep positions.

Carlo Ancelotti has been trying the Portuguese out up front alongside Benzema in the first three league matches and the pre-season warm-up. Higuaín's departure was largely responsible for Ancelotti's decision to play Ronaldo in this position, as well as the uncertainty surrounding Gareth Bale's joining the club, and the fact that Özil was still at Madrid.

As a result, Cristiano Ronaldo found himself 30 metres closer to the goalmouth. The Italian coach thought that Ronaldo had the necessary finishing skills to make him a dangerous addition to the front line of attack.

However, the player himself hasn't fitted in well to this new role. In fact, in the second half of the last league match against Athletic, he was seen to drop back to the halfway line. Starting his runs from a deeper position on the pitch, he proved far more effective and he made better use of his qualities: speed, strength, dribbling power, finding space and finishing.

The Portuguese striker has scored once so far this season. He opened his account with a header in the first half of the match against Athletic Bilbao, getting on the end of a Di María cross.