Man United have made a winning start to the Ralf Rangnick era, picking up a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Last week Rangnick had claimed that Man United need to take control of games, something which they had failed to do during the win over Arsenal. But the interim manager has managed to fix that loophole with only a few training sessions.
Manchester United have played some of the most attractive and eye-catching football in recent times and barring a few spells, the home team were very much the dominant side. While there’s still a lot of room for improvement but Sunday’s performance has shown that the Man United players can very easily challenge for the top four if they are coached and managed the right way.
Almost every Red Devils player was playing positive football and if this is a sign to come then we are going to see a totally different Manchester United during the second half of the season.
Man United player ratings vs Crystal Palace:
Defence:
David De Dea: 6.5/10
The keeper had very little to do throughout the match apart from holding onto a few long-rangers.
Harry Maguire: 7/10
The defender looked really composed and calm, especially with the ball at his feet. He was towering when dealing with ariel threats.
Victor Lindelof: 7.5/10
Lindelof was constantly looking to play long balls behind the Palace defence and this might be one of the key strategies that Man United might use under the interim manager.
Diogo Dalot: 7.5/10
The right-back was chosen ahead of Wan-Bissaka and barring a few nervy moments in defence, the 22-year-old clearly justified his position. His defensive game still needs work but Dalot provides a hell lot more in terms of attacking threats.
Alex Telles: 7.7/10
With Luke Shaw still out, Telles played at left-back and with the kind of performance he put out on Sunday, there’s a big chance he is going to be the first-choice left-back under Ralf Rangnick.
Midfielders:
Fred: 8.8/10
The midfielder scored the only goal of the game and he might have had his best performance in a Manchester United shirt. He looked like the Fred who plays for the Brazilian national side.
He’s clearly given a lot more freedom in the 4-2-2-2 system and this has brought out a different dimension in his game. Hopefully, he can maintain this kind of performance on a regular basis.
Me: that was supposed to be a cross, right?@AT13Oficial : 100%@Fred08oficial : guys, have some respect for my right foot 😂
Fredinhoooo 🚀🔥 pic.twitter.com/KoG3C8FkTv
— Bruno Fernandes (@B_Fernandes8) December 5, 2021
McTominay: 6.5/10
Did a pretty good job breaking up the Palace attacks but what was refreshing to see was that the Scottish international was always trying to pass the ball forward.
Bruno Fernandes: 7/10
Fernandes was chosen ahead of Donny in the No 10 role and he did have a really strong game. But the Portuguese needs to be more confident and precise when making those paces in the final third. He had a passing accuracy of just 78%.
Forwards:
Jadon Sancho: 6.8/10
Jadon Sancho has been picking up speed in the past few games and Sunday was another step towards him reaching his peak form. He didn’t do anything noteworthy but the winger is going to see a lot more game time, that’s for sure.
Manchester United won possession in the final third 12 times vs. Crystal Palace.
That’s the most they’ve done so in a Premier League match since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
What an impact Ralf Rangnick has made already! 📈 pic.twitter.com/z1rigMRwnb
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) December 5, 2021
Marcus Rashford: 6.5/10
The England international was constantly trying to make runs behind the back line, something which he’s been told to do by his new manager. But in order to become a world-class forward, the Man United man needs to know when to hold and when to release the ball, especially in and around the final third.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 7.5/10
Ronaldo had been criticised for not pressing under the ex-manager but the Portuguese has once again proved his haters wrong.
He might not have put his name on the scoresheet but the 36-year-old ran his socks off, constantly cutting off passing angles and helping the other Man United forwards in pressing the Palace full-backs.
Substitutes:
Mason Greenwood: 7/10
The youngster returned to the scene after missing a few games and he ended the match with an assist.
