Graphic: Champions League tactical analysis

As a man who recently launched a fashion range named CR7, after a Croydon postcode, Cristiano Ronaldo is not immune to the occasional faux pas. There was another on Saturday evening when he seemed determined to run Aston Villa’s supporters through his entire repertoire of hand gestures, but, as the Manchester United forward arrived in Valencia last night, this time mobbed rather than hounded by the locals, his right to self-expression was defended by Sir Alex Ferguson.

More than any other player in the English game — perhaps even the European game — Ronaldo, with his trickery and supreme self-confidence, invites resentment from opposition players and supporters, reducing them to physical or verbal provocation, and occasionally, increasingly, he reacts.

That was certainly the case at Villa Park on Saturday as he responded to the taunts of the home supporters while limping off the pitch during a frustrating 0-0 draw and while playing in a friendly match for Portugal against Brazil last week, when, for once on the receiving end of some showboating, he committed a spiteful challenge on Thiago Silva.

Was it a bad couple of days for Ronaldo or the latest signs of a phenomenon spiralling out of control? Ferguson, to judge from his response last night, believes that it is a storm in a teacup.

Asked whether he felt that Ronaldo should have shown more restraint at Villa Park in particular, Ferguson said: “Well, it depends on what side of the fence you are. Having seen some of the criticism of Ronaldo, that he couldn’t take it on Saturday, I wonder how many of these people would be able to take it and keep walking down the street if someone was hitting them on a head with a baton. How many times can you take it? He’s a great player and he’s a target for the opposition fans. It’s not a problem for him.”

It should certainly be less of a problem this evening, with United and Villarreal playing what is little more than a dead rubber at the Madrigal. because both teams are all but guaranteed a place in the knockout stages. Realistically, it is only first place in the group that is at stake, but that was reason enough for Ferguson to take the strongest available squad to Spain yesterday, with only Edwin van der Sar, the goalkeeper, rested.

Ferguson suggested that he would have been happy to give Ronaldo a rest, after he picked up a series of cuts and bruises at Villa Park, but had been advised to drop the idea. “He wants to play football and you don’t deter that in a player,” the manager said.

With the Manchester derby taking place on Sunday, United are staying in Spain for two nights, rather than their usual one, having found a desirable base down the coast in Valencia. But it would be pushing it to expect Ferguson to be given a warm welcome in Spain, given his continuing feud with Real Madrid, a club whose officials he has enraged by referring to their links to the Franco regime.

Asked by one Spanish journalist to explain his issue with Real, Ferguson said: “I have the opportunity with Real Madrid every day because they never stop.”

In the summer, Real drew Ferguson’s ire with their very public pursuit of Ronaldo, whose head was not so much turned but sent into a spin. This week it has emerged in Real’s favoured media outlets that Carlos Tévez is a target for the Spanish club, who are aware of a potential opening if United cannot meet the £32 million fee that is demanded by the companies that own the Argentina forward’s economic rights. In the absence of the injured Dimitar Berbatov, Tévez is at least likely to get another opportunity in the starting line-up this evening.

Ferguson could not leave without what appeared to be a gentle shot across Real’s bows. Asked to appraise the Spanish clubs’ chances in this season’s Champions League, he said that Barcelona, not Real, were the main threat to the English dominance of recent years. Villarreal may have something to say about that.

Sir Alex Ferguson will make a personal plea on Friday to try to persuade the Home Office to award a work permit to Zoran Tosic, the young Serbia winger. Manchester United have agreed a fee with Partizan Belgrade, believed to be in the region of £8 million, but the 21-year-old does not qualify automatically for a work permit as he is not yet a regular for the national team.

United must make a special application to the Home Office, which will be heard in Sheffield by a panel that is likely to include Chris Waddle, the former England winger. United’s case is not certain to be looked on favourably but Ferguson will make the point that Tosic, who already has 12 caps for his country, is a player of outstanding potential.