Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick confirms change in formation that beat West Ham
As per the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United interim manager, Ralf Rangnick has revealed that his side changed their formation to beat a resolute West Ham United team at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils were unable to break through a solid Hammers backline. This saw Rangnick shift his side to a 4-2-4 formation and it proved pivotal to secure all three points on the night. Man United won the game with virtually the last kick of the game, with four forwards on the field at the end of the match.
It took substitute Marcus Rashford‘s 93rd-minute winner to help the Red Devils overcome a determined West Ham, who came to Manchester with the intention to hold the Red Devils at bay. David Moyes‘ side thought they had won an important point away at Old Trafford, only for Rashford to break the Hammers’ hearts right at the very end.
United started once again in a 4-3-3 formation, till Rangnick confirmed he switched things up in the second half and resorted to a 4-2-4 formation to win all three points for his side. The German boss brought on three forwards to change the team’s shape, and it worked a charm as all three substitutes combined for the winning goal.
“If you include Cristiano, who was also involved, all four strikers that were on the pitch, we played in a 4-2-4 with four strikers. All four strikers were involved, well done and a great moment for the club and the players.”
In the end, it was Man United’s four forwards who won the game for the team, as Cristiano Ronaldo‘s deep position for the winning goal drew two West Ham defenders out and freed up space for Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial down the left side to attack, as they combined to set up Rashford. This comes after a reaction from the Hammers bench, as one of the West Ham analysts complained that Ronaldo was ‘killing us in that pocket’.
The Portuguese superstar struggled to impose himself in the game in the first half, even failing to connect with a Bruno Fernandes cross that one would normally expect the forward to capitalize on. However, Ronaldo dropped deep once again in the dying minutes of the game to kick-start the decisive attack into the West Ham box, which eventually led to the winning goal.
Last night’s last gasp win sent Man United into the top four in the league table. However, Rangnick expects his team to do better when in possession and improve their game further. Thankfully our risk paid off this time around.
“Defensively, one of the best performances in the last two months. On the ball, I’m still not quite happy with how we are playing.”
Ever since Rangnick’s arrival, the Red Devils have tried out different formations to test out their best style – playing in a 4-2-2-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, and 4-2-4 in their last four games. The former RB Leipzig manager prefers to have his players press high up the pitch in an effort to win the ball back in the opposition half and start quick counterattacks.
However, we have not yet quite deployed the head coach’s preferred style of play to perfection, partly because the players have not had enough time to adapt to Rangnick’s methods. The German has needed to tweak his team according to the situation rather than have his players respond to what he exactly wants from them on the pitch.
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There has been a marked change in defensive stability since Rangnick took over, with the squad seemingly playing in a manner that restricts the opposition to cut through them as easily as they did before the German’s arrival. Keeper David De Gea must be thanked for that, with the senior player single-handedly keeping us in games with his shot-stopping prowess.
It is our attack that needs fixing, with fluidity and decision making missing in the final third. Rangnick however, is sure to be happy having seen positive signs in previous gameweeks, and the recent resurgence of Rashford will be key for our team to kick on from here and climb up the Premier League table.
