Rijo Sam Daniel
Ralf Rangnick reveals the reason for Harry Maguire’s struggles at Manchester United
Ralf Rangnick has weighed in with his thoughts on Harry Maguire and his struggles at Manchester United by providing a reason for his inconsistency. The captain has been on the receiving end of criticisms of late and is going through a torrid patch of form right now.
Maguire endured a difficult season even during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign. The centre-back has had a better time under the interim manager, but he still continues to be inconsistent with his performances. The defender enjoyed a strong performance against West Ham United after returning from injury but grossly underperformed against Southampton and Burnley in the last two fixtures.
What is peculiar about the ex-Leicester City’s defender form is that he was arguably one of England’s best defensive players in the 2020 UEFA Euros just last summer. But since then, he has clearly struggled to replicate that level of performance on a consistent basis for us.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference (h/t Manchester United official website), Rangnick mentioned that the difference in systems at the club level and international level could have resulted in the Englishman’s plight. Moreover, he also said that the proactive approach taken by Man United is a major change that the defender needs to get accustomed to.
“The way that we are playing now is new also for him because for the English national team he is used to playing in a back three and for Manchester United, in most cases in a back four, but also being proactive, not with that kind of rest defence. [Our style is about] always being on the front foot when we are trying to defend, and this is something also new to him. It will also take some time for him to get used to that, to adjust to that, and this is all I can say to that.”
Makes sense?
The German manager makes a good point. Man United defend aggressively and in a four-man backline, there isn’t a third centre-back to be found to clog spaces between the other defenders. Moreover, Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips gave the Three Lions’ defence top-quality protection from midfield throughout the course of their Euros campaign.
Maguire was completely bamboozled for Burnley and Southampton’s goals in the past two fixtures and must work on his positioning in that regard. Rangnick is an able enough manager to inform Maguire of his weaknesses, and the player himself is mature enough to recognize where he is going wrong.
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We cannot always cater to the need of one player as the team’s interest should always be of the highest importance. World-class players overcome the obstacles in their way, and the defender needs to do the same if he wants to put an end to his shortcomings.
We face Brighton and Hove Albion in a crucial Premier League fixture later today. That gives Maguire a chance to showcase why United splashed an eye-watering sum for him back in the day and that he continues to be a solid defender deserving the captain’s armband.
