With the interim manager, Ralf Rangnick coming into the hot seat at Old Trafford Manchester United fans were delighted to welcome the ‘grandfather of gegenpressing’ to the club. But with a stuttering start to life in Manchester, Rangnick’s early results showed that the issues within the club lie deeper than just the man in the management seat.
What formation do we play again?
With a well-deserved 1-0 loss to Wolves, Manchester United continued their recent poor run of form and ultimately poor level of performance. Fans have already begun to question the tactical decisions of the new manager – who has employed a number of formations in his early matches including a 4-2-2-2 turned 4-4-2 turned 3-5-2 and ultimately 3-1-6 at times.
These constant changes to the formation show a manager unsure of how to extract the best value from the players at his disposal. These unusual formations are not only confusing fans but look to be confusing the players who looked lost on the pitch in an unfamiliar formation.
Player Selection
Alongside a confusing tactical setup, Rangnick has also been criticised for his player selection. With early performances suggesting a preferred full-back setup of Dalot & Telles offering attacking width, Rangnick has recently returned back to Wan-Bissaka & Shaw combination that was popular under Ole. With seemingly a sheer reluctance to drop Cristiano Ronaldo, Rangnick is hampering himself in his ability to implement his famous pressing style. In a formation that requires attacking full-backs, pressing forwards, and mobile central midfielders the selections of Wan-Bissaka, Ronaldo and Matic become even more perplexing.
While dropping club-legend Cristiano Ronaldo is no mean feat, perhaps it is a symbolic measure that Rangnick needs to send out to the club and to the fans that no player is more powerful than the club. And in doing so, can select players that will be willing to implement the managers’ instructions and style.
An unhappy dressing room
To compound issues at the club, it also appears many of the players are unhappy with their current situation regarding their future at Old Trafford. With many players’ contracts expiring this summer in Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani, and fringe players like Anthony Martial, Donny Van De Beek, and Dean Henderson constantly cast to the sidelines, there is a considerable amount of players in the 26-man squad in less than ideal circumstances. This unrest is only piling on the pressure at Old Trafford.
Staff issues
When it rains, it really does pour. And life at Manchester got off to a rocky start for Rangnick as McKenna and Carrick both left the club shortly after his appointment. Rangnick was keen to keep both of these coaches on at the club and perhaps may go some way to explain the issues he is having at settling into life in England and Manchester United. With Technical Director Darren Fletcher also now appearing on the sidelines the role he now plays at the club has also become blurred – with many wondering what exactly this new role he has is.
Where do Manchester United go from here?
While many were hoping for a quick fix to Manchester United’s woes after sacking Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer – it’s looking like things might still get worse before they get better. Rangnick needs to quickly discover an identity to this Manchester United side, and deliver performances that will get fans back on side. With just a 6 month stint in the manager role for Rangnick before he takes a 2-year consultancy role at the club, there isn’t enough time to reinvent the wheel. The best approach may be resorting to a more conventional formation and system that is familiar to the players – helping them regain some much-needed confidence in the second half of the season before a new manager is appointed in the summer of 2022.
Football Rambling Daily 