Ralf Rangnick news: Should Manchester United manager stop high-pressing and focus on defensive stability?

United are currently on 51 points and are three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with only nine games remaining in the season.

Ralf Rangnick on the touchline at Old Trafford in a file photo; Credit: Twitter@ManUtd
By Karthik Raman | Apr 6, 2022 | 4 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

The current season is fast becoming a forgettable one for Manchester United. It is not only that they will end another campaign without a trophy, but their top-four ambitions are also looking bleak. United are currently on 51 points and are three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with only nine Premier League games remaining in the season. Arsenal are also on the same points as Tottenham but have an inferior goal difference. However, Mikel Arteta’s side have a game in hand, making them the favourite for the top four battle. 

A lot of twists and turns can still happen from now till the end of the season. But, the possibility of that happening looks pretty slim with only a few weeks left before the curtain drops down on the current campaign. A good summer transfer window and a change in manager have still not helped the club get back on track. Is it too early for Manchester United fans to give up on the current season or is there still hope? Interim manager Ralf Rangnick will certainly wish it is the latter, but with time running out, it is not clear how Manchester United can still pull off an unlikely top-four finish.

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What is Manchester United’s biggest problem?

A long list can be made out of Manchester United’s problems this season. They have neither been prolific in attack nor solid in defence. With and without the ball, United have looked like a shadow of their former self that used to dominate English football for years under former manager Sir Alex Ferguson. But the most pressing issue is the team’s lack of shape or coordination without the ball. 

Under the previous manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United did not have a high pressing style. They relied more on quick counter-attacks. This does not mean the team was defensively solid, as the Reds were leaking goals consistently. Experts believed that the players were to be blamed for not closing down the opponents higher up the pitch nor tracking back to help the defence when not in possession. 

This problem led to some embarrassing results against Liverpool, Manchester City and Watford among others earlier this season. After Ole departed, fans believed Rangnick could do the job of bringing a better shape to the team’s defensive set-up and also help them ease into the pressing style of play. It was understandable since Rangnick’s ‘gegenpressing’ style has been praised by many coaches across Europe.

Fans believed he could be the difference-maker for United, but months later neither performances nor results have backed the hype surrounding his appointment. There were glimpses of Rangnick’s high-pressing being visible in Manchester United’s game but truth to be told, it has not turned out the way fans anticipated it would. 

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Should Ralf Rangnick abandon high-pressing?

In Rangnick’s defence, he has been with the club for only a handful of months. That too he took over the job in the middle of the season. It will undoubtedly be difficult to make a team, not known for pressing, into a high-pressing unit. Such a drastic change will ideally not be possible for any manager to implement in the middle of a hectic campaign.

There were a few games when the high-pressing worked for certain parts of the match like the opening quarter against Crystal Palace, the home win against West Ham, and the first half of the 0-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid among others. 

However, the real problem is whether Manchester United have the right personality to play a high-pressing style. They need to have willing runners who are ready to close down the opponents, while those behind supporting them in the pressing or cutting down the passing lanes. 

Manchester United must focus more on defence

Besides, a team cannot go all-out pressing without having sufficient back-up in defence. United have unfortunately failed to do any of these efficiently, resulting in the team looking vulnerable to frequent counter attacks.

It is difficult to create a coordinated pressing style of football in the middle of the season. Hence, it is important that Rangnick focuses on the priority which is United’s defensive shape. Rather than pressing high and taking the game to opponents and leaving the back door open for counter-attacks, United could adopt a part of Ole’s system in the remaining matches.

United should sit back and stay as compact as possible in defence and counter-attack the opponents quickly whenever they win the ball. This approach might not go well with fans and experts but if this system can produce the desired results then no one will complain. For now, the priority for Manchester United is to see out the season and find a proper plan with a new manager in the summer.





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