Lack of future certainty in Ralf Rangnick’s side is resulting in failure not only defensively but also in their nerve and will If there is good news for Manchester United on a bleak afternoon it is that their performance was good in parts. Admittedly those parts were few and far between and confined almost entirely to the first half, but that is still better than the derby at Old Trafford in November.The use of Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba as central attacking players, to the extent it caused Manchester City problems, worked, at least before half-time. But the problem is that none of that much matters if you’re going to defend like the visitors did. Continue reading...
An upturn appeared inevitable when the interim manager came in but little has changed for a fragile and cautious teamWhen Manchester United lost 4-1 at Watford in November, a defeat that cost Ole Gunnar Solskjær his job, things were that bad I thought it could only get better for the club. Since then not much has changed at Old Trafford.The squad available to Ralf Rangnick should be finishing in the top four of the Premier League. They are fourth but could relinquish that position to teams who have games in hand. If they fail to qualify for the Champions League there will be a lot of blame to go round, not just for those in the dugout or on the...
Confusion over the interim manager’s consultancy will not help the technocrat assess how to shape an underachieving squadA scruffy draw at Newcastle was not the beginning of the end of the Ralf Rangnick era and neither was a disjointed win over Burnley its glorious rebirth. Games against sides in the bottom quarter of the Premier League are not really how Manchester United should be judging themselves – not unless they’re losing them 4-1, in which case it really probably is time for a change.Optimists, though, perhaps could see signs of progress on Thursday: in Scott McTominay’s energy and drive, in Edinson Cavani’s continued sharpness, in the way Jadon Sancho swooped in from the flank for the second goal and the...
The Ralf Rangnick era begins with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace but it would be wrong to read too much into the victoryNew managers get the benefit of the doubt. Even language breaks their way. A 1-0 win against Crystal Palace that might have been described as streaky under Ole Gunnar Solskjær becomes a hard-fought three points under Ralf Rangnick. While Solskjær showed “indecision” in delaying his substitutions, here Rangnick confidently “bided his time”. A fortnight ago, this was a performance that would have “papered over the cracks”. Now, it is a “platform to build on”.And so for all the temptation to read the early runes, to derive immutable learnings from these 90 minutes against limited opposition, it’s probably...
Interim manager reminded his audience he knows Erling Haaland well, but wants control before spending on playersControl, control, control: Ralf Rangnick’s mantra regarding what Manchester United are missing was also an apt characterisation of a 63-year-old who having just strode into a behemoth global football club oozed calm and clarity during his first media conference as their interim manager.The big poser, of course, is how long this will last should United struggle? But, for the moment, Rangnick illustrated why the club trust him. Arriving five minutes before the advertised 9am start, the German was dry-witted, smart, deferential and, most pertinently, displayed a forensic eye regarding his new side after their impersonation of a rabble over much of the last two...