Rijo Sam Daniel
Ralf Rangnick offers solutions to solve Manchester United squad imbalance
Ralf Rangnick has weighed in on the possible solutions for solving the lack of balance at Manchester United. His side will face Aston Villa in the Premier League tomorrow, having beaten them in the FA Cup earlier in the week. They need an inspiring performance to turn around their fortunes and kickstart a solid run of results.
Man United has seen their midfield get overrun by opponents for some time now and was also the case under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. This issue can be traced back to last season, and a solution has to be found if we hope to achieve a top-four finish and qualify for the Champions League next term.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference (h/t Manchester United official website), Rangnick has expressed that the solution is a work in progress since they need to have better control over the games. He continued to delve deep into the matter by explaining how the team needs to improve on and off the ball to gain more control over matches.
“I mean, yes, I was fully aware that this cannot happen overnight. It’s a work in progress. I think we have shown that we have conceded fewer goals than a couple of weeks ago but still, it’s also about controlling the game. how do you play if the other team is in possession of the ball, how proactive and aggressive can you be at the same time without being weak on the counter-attack. The other one is you can gain control when you are in possession of the ball. In both areas, I try to work and improve the team.”
Man Utd has a lot to improve!
Like the German boss mentioned, the Red Devils needs to improve a lot in the various aspects of the game to overcome their struggles. In modern football, the need to micro-manage different phases of a match is considered normal, which is why Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have dominated under their respective coaches.
We must adapt to the modern game and exert more control with or without the ball. We have to force our opponents to play the way we want to and force them into making mistakes. That means the team should take the initiative from the get-go and be proactive with their approach.
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There is a general misconception that teams can have control by having more possession of the ball, but that is simply not the case. But what we are lacking is the “right way” to defend through pressures or holding our shape, which has resulted in negative football. Let’s hope that we see a gradual improvement in the coming fixtures to increase our chances of having a better end to this campaign.
We are currently seventh in the league table with 31 points from 19 matches but have two games in hand that need to be played. We could still make it into the top four places as we are just six points off West Ham United in fourth place. A win tomorrow would be the boost that we need to get ready to face them on 22 January when we could reduce the gap even further.
