Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick insists on looking ahead despite Manchester City defeat
Speaking after his side’s 4-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City (h/t Manchester Evening News), Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick said he was looking ahead and not spending time brooding despite the loss.
United were torn apart by a strong City attack, with our rearguard looking vulnerable every time they faced a threat from the opponents. Despite only being a goal down at half-time, they stood no chance against the Cityzens in the second period, conceding two more.
Rangnick said that the difference between the two teams was obvious, claiming that they always knew it would be a difficult game to win. The German pointed at the fact that they had a few bright openings in the first period, despite what happened later on in the fixture.
“After 28 games, you are as far apart from each team as the table shows it. We knew it was a difficult game to come up for us. I think we did well in the first-half tactically, we had our moments, we could have scored one or two more goals in the first-half but we didn’t.”
This marks the German’s second loss in the league, having previously overseen a home defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The result also pushed United down the table to fifth place, endangering their UCL hopes for next season.
“Not my issue”
The second half against City was probably the Red Devils’ worst performance under Rangnick this season, as they could not muster up any clear chances or take control of the game with hardly any possession. City’s quality stood out, as they made the most of the situation and completed the double over their rivals this campaign.
Rangnick insisted that now is not the time to discuss how United could match up to City or how many new players would be needed, but it was the occasion to look forward to the next games and try to bounce back as quickly as possible.
“I am still the manager for of this team another 10 games in the Premier League and hopefully a few more games in the Champions League and it doesn’t make sense now to start any speculations about how many players would be needed. This is not my issue. It’s right now about preparing the team for the Tottenham game and Atletico in the Champions League.”
After spending years having the advantage over City, United have looked beaten and scared of their noisy neighbours in the past decade as the blue half of Manchester has enjoyed great success by winning league titles and cup competitions.
Old Trafford has gone through multiple managers to find the right fit and get back to winning ways to compete with City, but have been unsuccessful. Rangnick is the latest in this long list of bosses, and he too has failed so far to make the side consistent once again. In the former RB Leipzig man’s defence, he has only had a few months to work with a team that comprises players that other managers have bought.
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There were questions about how far the team had fallen behind City and whether new players would be needed, but despite Rangnick brushing these queries away, these are exactly the kind of doubts that United fans have had for a while. In yet another Manchester derby, City had the last laugh.
Up next presents a crucial game against Spurs, who are also battling us for a top-four spot in the Premier League. Rangnick will need to muster everything he has to get the team back to winning ways, with Champions League football next season on the line.
