Ralf Rangnick addresses Manchester United midfield issues ahead of FA Cup tie against Aston Villa

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News, Ralf Rangnick addressed the midfield issues at Manchester United by stating that he needs to find a balance ahead of facing Aston Villa in the FA Cup on Monday.

The 13-time Premier League champions have been far from impressive this season. The squad we possess are not even comparable to the performances on the pitch. However, one area that has been our doom, in particular, this season is the midfield line.

The Red Devils have tried out seven different midfield combinations this season. But neither has worked under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick. The recent blip in form is also partly due to being overrun in the centre of the pitch by the opposition.

The gaffer addressed these issues in totality ahead of the FA Cup tie against Aston Villa on Monday.

“It doesn’t help if there is a profile missing. We need to work and want to work with the players we have. We have shown we are able to keep clean sheets with these players, but it is also what we are doing with the ball and without the ball.

“I’m sure they are listening and we showed in the last games against Palace and Burnley, and parts against Norwich and Newcastle they are trying to follow the advice I give them. It is about balance. We need to find the best possible balance before offence and defence, and this is something we have to do to get better on.”

Main area of concern?

It has been no secret that our midfield line needs reinforcements. It remains to be seen if we take any steps in January to address that. Regardless, as the gaffer mentioned, a certain profile is missing.

We lack a quality holding midfielder that can provide sufficient protection to our backline and support the frontline by dictating play. In the summer, we signed one centre-back, a right-winger, and a centre-forward. One can argue that the latter was an unnecessary buy, but the thought of Cristiano Ronaldo joining Man City was never going to sit right with us. 

But not addressing the midfield was a mistake in hindsight. We have paid for it throughout the season, and Rangnick looks like a helpless manager at the moment. Paul Pogba, who is arguably our best midfielder, has also been out with an injury since November. Thus, there is little to work with and little to improve upon.

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Scott McTominay and Fred have had inconsistencies in their game. Nemanja Matic is also ageing, and it is not wise to use week-in and week-out. Thus, apart from intense training sessions, Rangnick cannot do a lot to change our midfield fortunes, especially if we do not sign a player either.

We can’t know until matchday what squad Steven Gerrard will put out but regardless of that, being United supporters, we would expect our team to beat the Villans, and beat them well. We have some of the best players in the league and we cannot use any excuses if we exit FA Cup at such an early stage.