Man United Paul Pogba Man United
Paul Pogba Man United

Man United suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City on Sunday and next up, they face another big side in the form of Tottenham Hotspur. The Man United vs Spurs game this weekend could have a lot of impact on how the top-six could look by the end of May.

While United suffered a humiliating loss, Spurs, on the other hand, beat Everton 5-0 on Monday. Tottenham have not shown consistency this season but picking up a 5-0 win right before such a key match is a major confidence booster for Antonio Conte’s side.

Conte has a fairly decent record against Man United and Spurs are definitely the favourites to win on Saturday, thereby helping them recover the ground they have lost in recent months. The North London can still catch up with Arsenal in this race but for that, they will have to pick up a win at Old Trafford.

Man United, on the other hand, are very much on the verge of falling out of the top-four race and if they fail to win on Saturday then the only way they can play in the Champions League next season is if they can win the UCL this time around.

The United players are really low in confidence and now it’s high time that the interim manager makes some drastic decisions because without him taking charge, there’s no way Man United will be able to defeat Tottenham.

Ralf Rangnick needs to look into these three things if Man United wishes to pick up a win on their home territory.

A new central defensive partnership:

Harry Maguire’s weaknesses are coming to the forefront every week and it’s almost certain that with him, Man United won’t be able to go too far.

When Lindelof and Varane paired up in central defence vs Watford United were able to play with a high line and squeeze their opponents after a really really long time. Since Maguire does not have recovery pace, Man United always have to sit deep, thereby giving the other team the chance to take over the midfield.

Spurs rely on the pace of Son and Kane so using Maguire could be the recipe for disaster on Sunday. Varane is recovering from COVID but if he is available then Rangnick should immediately drop Harry Maguire to the bench.

Maguire has no pace whatsoever so with him starting if Kane or Son can get behind the United defence then Rangnick’s defenders will be running for their lives.

Keep Ronaldo on the bench:

Ronaldo missed the derby with a hip injury and it’s still unsure if he will be fit for the Man United vs Spurs game or not.

United have been successful against the bigger sides by playing on the counter and if Rangnick plans to use this strategy on Saturday then Ronaldo is of no use.

The forward has no pace plus he is not willing to press so it would make much more sense to use him as an impact sub and start with someone like Elanga or Rashford as the centre-forward.

Pogba in midfield or on the bench?

Pogba was used as a false nine against Manchester City but the Frenchman is completely useless in games that require tracking back and playing with discipline.

The Frenchman is great in a free and carefree role but in a game like Man United vs Spurs, all the players need to be on their toes and willing to help out the defenders.

Paul Pogba is not someone who is ready to track back so Rangnick should be wise and use a double pivot of Fred and McTominay. The pair are much more disciplined than Pogba so at least in defensive situations, Man United will have greater strength and cohesiveness.

Read: Spurs team news vs Manchester United – EPL.

Read: Man United vs Spurs – Rangnick’s possible tactics.

Read: Conte makes an honest admission regarding the top-four race.

Read: Liverpool might beat teams like Man United & Arsenal to the signing of this 24Y/O midfielder.

Stats courtesy Squawka

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