Is Manchester United’s Season Over? Here’s How Rangnick Can Save It

1 year ago
by hesgoaldd

Manchester United lost for the third time in five matches on Saturday with a slight loss to struggling Everton. The score left them in seventh place, six points off the top four. A season that had begun with great hope of a title challenge quickly disintegrated into one of the worst in the club’s history.

Just one win in the last seven games has many writing off the club’s season, and they are already waiting for their bald savior to arrive in Erik ten Hag who is expected to ditch sunny Amsterdam for overcast Manchester. While the pessimism is warranted, the team still have seven games left in the Premier League, and their season could still be salvaged, against all odds. Here’s how –

Ronaldo seat

Other than goals, Cristiano Ronaldo has provided little value to Juventus in the past three seasons. With the targets drying up, he was actively working net negative huge For Man United.

Edinson Cavani provided constant movement and space creation, Anthony Martial provided on-ball technique and 1v1 mastery, and Marcus Rashford provided speed at the back. All of Manchester United’s striking options last season gave the team something other than goals and this is not the case for Ronaldo, who appeared isolated on the field, with no team-mate apparently able to understand him.

There is a lot of blame you can place on the support team and there is no denying that Ronaldo’s arrival has completely disrupted United’s attacking plans. On top of that, he was a cynical figure burdened off the field as well, which was reflected in his smashing a child’s phone after the loss at Goodison Park.

The bench will give Ronaldo Rangnick some creative space in his tactics with the solidity of the 37-year-old forward. Assuming he agrees to a deal, Ten Hag would certainly not want to include the Portuguese in his squad, and this would give Manchester United a chance to plan life after him.

The race is still going on

Despite the drop in level, United still have a good chance of getting into the top four. The fans rejected this wild idea of ​​covering a six-point deficit in seven games but it is a very achievable task.

Tottenham Hotspur, who is currently in fourth place, has yet to play with Liverpool and Arsenal besides tough clashes against Brighton and Leicester City. Arsenal in fifth should play with Tottenham, Chelsea and West Ham, except for hosting Manchester United themselves. There is plenty of room to drop points but United need to be at their best to take advantage.

The Red Devils have to face Liverpool and Chelsea unlike Arsenal. It’s by no means an easy task, but the need for optimism not only from the players but also in the stands is integral to mounting a late charge from the top four.

Get Defense ranked

Rangnick’s side have been fairly decent going forward but defense is still a big problem. David de Gea has only seven clean sheets this season, the tenth best record in the league. Harry Maguire was foul-prone after two impressive years, Raphael Varane disappointed while Victor Lindelof remained brilliant.

Harry Maguire has been poor this season (Courtesy: Harry Maguire/Twitter)

Luke Shaw has struggled with injuries, Alex Telles flanked the defense while Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s complete lack of offensive contribution has hurt him. Simply put, the defense wasn’t good enough to take the top four. However, it is unlikely that there will be a major overhaul in this department given the more pressing needs elsewhere.

Therefore, Rangnick’s priority should be to arrange the defense to lay a good foundation for the upcoming season. Restoring Maguire’s level and allowing Varane to settle would solve many of United’s problems and could line up with their Champions League ambitions until the end of the season.

Give the kids a chance

In terms of laying the foundation, nothing is more important to Manchester United than the blood of their properly promising young crop. Anthony Ilanga has already seen a lot of playing time this season, but there are many talented players coming from the academy who should be given a chance to prove themselves.

Alejandro Garnacho has excelled On the left flank of the youth side while Charlie McNeil and Joe Hoegel proved to be strong goalscorers. Hannibal Majbri And Kobe Mino It has been shown to be effective in the middle of the garden and adult playtime can help facilitate their development. Hannibal in particular seems ready to make the move, especially with Toby Collier Join the youth ranks next season.

The club also has a lot of interesting players on loan who may not get the minutes they hoped for. Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri could provide outsiders Marcus Rashford while James Garner should certainly be incorporated into the first team next season after a good campaign with Nottingham Forest.

public relations reform

It’s a burden being the biggest club in the country that every dip in level is accompanied by crisis talks and rumors circulating about it, but Manchester United’s representation in the media this season has been disastrously poor. Constant leaks from the dressing room and the club’s failure to deal with it.

Few journalists have had so much access and information that has been proven harmful to the club. There is a clear sense of mistrust among players, fans, analysts and journalists. If United is to become a properly functioning organization and maintain its beloved business power, it needs to correct its way of dealing with the press.

The season has been really frustrating not only for the fans but also for the players and staff. It is important to assess the club’s position and set realistic goals for the end of the season. There are still things left to play with and Manchester United could be in a much better position for next season if they pull things together for now.

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