Rijo Sam Daniel
Ralf Rangnick told Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles to imrprove defensively for being Manchester United regulars
Ralf Rangnick has provided a piece of advice to Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles on what they should do to keep their places as regulars for Manchester United. The fullback duo was on the fringes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but that has changed since the arrival of the interim manager.
Solskjaer often preferred using Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka even when performances did not warrant so, especially in the latter’s case. Since the German boss has come in, there has been a change with increased competition for the places resulting in Dalot and Telles gaining more minutes.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of the game against West Ham (h/t Manchester United official website), Rangnick has conveyed that he is content with the Man United duo’s overall displays up to this instant. But he did admit that they need improvements in the defensive side of things as having a broader range of skills is beneficial for the team.
“So far, with the development, since I’m here of Diogo and Alex Telles I am happy. They get more game time right now because Luke is injured and Aaron is still ill. So yeah I’m happy to have those two players available. As I said, offensively both of them have their assets and their strengths but defensively there is still some space for improvement.”
Rangnick makes a good point
Both of them are in line to start against West Ham United later since their competition is out on the sidelines due to injury concerns. They need to take hold of this opportunity and make their case to the Red Devils coach by working on their defensive game.
The 22-year-old and the Brazilian have a great chance of taking over the starting spot due to the system being utilised by the Manchester United boss. The formation plays to their strengths as it enables them to get the best out of their attacking attributes, but it can also expose their defensive issues, as Rangnick talks about above.
Full-backs have become very important in the current football world, with players like Joao Cancelo, Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Achraf Hakimi making a name for themselves by playing a big role in their team’s attacking ventures. The tactics used by the 63-year-old manager asks his wide-man to be involved on both sides of the pitch.
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And hence, it is essential that the Portuguese star and the 29-year-old pay heed to what their boss has to say. With the Premier League clash against West Ham set to take place later today, we can have an idea of whether they have taken the tips to improve their game or not.
Telles has an impressive left foot and he definitely knows how to pass the ball aerially and on the ground. Dalot is an able runner and can attack spaces in the opposition’s defence. But both of them can be a little sturdier in defence, and today’s match may well tell us just how much they have been working on the defensive side of their game recently.
