Antony can take Cristiano Ronaldo lesson after spin outrage
Karan Tejwani
- 28 Oct 2022 07:41 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United secured a 3-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol in their Europa League group stage clash to ensure qualification to the next stage of the competition.
Goals from Diogo Dalot, Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo completed the win, but one of the major talking points was Antony’s trademark spin, which happened in the first half when the game was still goalless.
Although the spin lasted for about two seconds and was completely harmless, it became a major issue, with some suggesting it annoyed Erik ten Hag so much that he took the Brazilian off at half-time.
READ: Man Utd's €100m star Antony shining thanks to Ronaldo
However, as Ten Hag later pointed out, the big issue with the move was the pass which came immediately afterwards, which was slightly overhit and ultimately made the move lead to nothing.
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The reaction to it was quite strong – some felt it was disrespectful, others thought it was embarrassing, while the BT Sport punditry crew of Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves were completely appalled by it.
Ten Hag was later asked about it, to which he said: "I don't have a problem with that as long as it's functional," suggesting he would be fine with it had the final ball come off properly.
READ: Antony's start justifies Man Utd's long transfer pursuit
Having witnessed Antony do this and more for over two years at Ajax, suggesting he took him off the pitch because of it was a bit bizarre – Manchester United are at an important part of the season with a thin squad. Protecting players from injury and looking ahead to league games is crucial.
And, in a way, the move did end up becoming quite functional, allowing Casemiro to run into space. Once again, it was the final ball that let Antony down. While the defenders focused on the Brazilian doing his spin, Antony had an eye on the runner, only for the pass to not go off as planned.
"Embarrassing!"
Antony does his trademark spin in acres of space and then puts his pass out of play... 🙃#UEL pic.twitter.com/P7SjcPqrUd— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 27, 2022
There were also comparisons to Ronaldo’s early days. The Portuguese star once said that he was told he did too many stepovers early in his career but lacked end-product. If Antony can take notes from that, improve his final ball and be more effective, then any number of spins won’t matter.
Manchester United have had plenty of players with that sort of flair over the years – the likes of George Best, Andrei Kanchelskis, Ronaldo, Nani and others. Antony is just another entertainer, as he’s shown throughout his career. He’s also had moments of brilliance. It’s all part of the deal to get him, and should he fix his final ball, all this will be forgotten.
