Man United have made a winning start under interim boss Ralf Rangnick and from day one the temporary boss has made his priorities really clear.
Before taking charge the German had established that he wanted Manchester United to take control of games, something which they had failed to do during the Arsenal game. And asserting dominance is exactly what they did vs Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Ralf Rangnick deployed a 4-2-2-2 system in his first Premier League game in charge and the changes which the 63-year-old brought were pretty distinctly visible. United were playing a high-pressing brand of football and it was refreshing to see the Old Trafford side actually playing with a proper plan.
The interim manager spoke after the 1-0 win and while explaining his tactics, Ralf Rangnick dropped a hint as to who his pivotal players are going to be for the remainder of the season.
“The first half-hour was amazing,” Rangnick said, as per the club’s official website. “and the only thing that was missing was scoring one or two goals. Even after that, we had control of the game.
“If you play the way we played today with regards to intensity and having four offensive players, it is highly important that you have players who are disciplined. Both Scotty [McTominay] and Fred are perfect for that.
“For me, it seemed logical to not make many changes after the win against Arsenal. The question was how do we get possession of the ball?
Ralf Rangnick says he wants to turn Man United into pressing monsters, but it will take time 😤 pic.twitter.com/sHEIr9wNcc
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) December 5, 2021
“We had enough space with Jadon [Sancho] and Bruno [Fernandes] in those number ten positions for our fullbacks to play forwards and ask for the ball on the wings. That was the reason I decided to play a 4-2-2-2.
“The most demanding positions in that formation are the tens and I think Bruno and Jadon did well in those positions. Defensively they both did well.”
Are the midfielders going to be key for Ralf Rangnick?
Ralf Rangnick is really transparent about what he wants to do in the next six months and if he wants to achieve his goals then the middle of the pitch is going to be the make or break area.
If control is what the German is looking for then McTominay and Fred will be his go-to players – unless the club can go out and bring in someone like Kalvin Phillips or Declan Rice in January.
McTominay had a rating of 6.6 and Fred had a rating of 8.4 in the Palace game and it was really refreshing to see the two doing the things which they were actually brought in for.
Under Solskjaer, the two were always sitting deep and holding their positions but under Ralf Rangnick, Fred has more freedom to roam around and join in the final third.
And talking about the two forward midfielders, they are the players who are actually going to help Man United win the ball higher up the pitch.
These four players are going to be key for Man United during the second half of the season and if they can be disciplined and follow their manager’s instructions perfectly then United should be back amongst the big boys in no time at all.
Read: Man United’s team news vs Young Boys – UCL.
Read: Man United player ratings vs Crystal Palace.
Data courtesy Whoscored.
