There were noticeable improvements on the pitch in the recent games against Middlesbrough and Burnley, yet Manchester United could only manage 1-1 draws after 90 minutes in both matches, losing the first game on penalties in the FA Cup.
February has started off as a bumpy month for the club — both on and off the pitch — but interim manager Ralf Rangnick is pleased with United’s improvement in terms of performance. Of course, the manager is not saying he accepts recent results, but we’re gradually getting better.
“I can tell you what I have experienced in the last few weeks,” Rangnick told reporters, as per Manchester Evening News. “I’d even say they were good had we won at Burnley. It is about improving in terms of performance and results. The team has developed, even the players realise themselves how much they have improved, especially in control of the game.”
Both games were similar in that United dominated for chunks of the game. Some fans labeled the side ‘First Half FC’ on social media, but surely that is down to playing with more intensity than before?
The goals will come.
Although it looks like we can do everything but kill off matches at the moment, it’s only a matter of time before Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo start scoring goals again.
Rangnick was also asked why United appear to drop off in the second-half.
He said: “How we played in the first half or 70 minutes at Burnley was very, very close to the game-plan that we spoke about and now it’s about rewarding ourselves and getting the results that we deserve.
“I think the players have realised that there has been a good development in the last couple of weeks, both in and out of possession. They realised that we controlled the game but, then again, if we concede a goal, against Boro it was after 65-70 minutes, we should just stick to the game-plan. Not, all of a sudden, lose shape or lose composure.
“This was the most harmful part of it. We just didn’t stick to that game-plan. All of a sudden, we didn’t have the same positioning on the pitch, our two 8s were too far outside, this is what we spoke about yesterday and the day before, when we analysed the Burnley game.
“Hopefully, when we have the same amount of opportunities, we score more than one goal, this has to be more effective. But we have to be aware of why we were so dominant. We have to stick to that, all of a sudden, not lose structure, lose shape, it was obvious for some 15-20 minutes against Burnley. It got better at the end of the game, and we had more control, but in those 15 minutes, we lost that shape.”
Let’s hope United can get back to winning ways this weekend against Southampton.
They will need to keep an eye out for James Ward-Prowse on set-pieces!
