Man United take on Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday and Ralf Rangnick needs to do some serious thinking in regards to his team selection.
This Premier League game is significant for both sides since a loss for Manchester United will push them out of the top four whereas if City lose then Liverpool will have the opportunity to catch up with them.
United go into this game as the heavy underdogs but if Rangnick can get his selection right then the visitors might be able to pick something up from this match.
MUFC’s recent record at the Etihad is also very strong and if their manager can get his starting XI right then Man United could perform the perfect smash and grab on Sunday.
Put Ronaldo on the bench?
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in really poor form in 2022 and against Watford, he looked like a completely lost figure. He might have netted nine goals this season in the Premier League but most of those came during the early months of the campaign.
Against Watford, he had four shots in the 90 minutes but he failed to score from even a single one of them.
Man City are a side that play really fast-paced football so the Man United players will need to be on their A-game when it comes to pressing high up the pitch. Unfortunately, Ronaldo is someone who is not cut out for this job.
📊Cristiano Ronaldo vs Watford:
93 minutes
36 touches
0 goals
0 assists
1/4 shots on target
1/2 dribbles completed
1 big chance missed
86% passing accuracy
4/9 duels won
2 offsidesIs it time for Ronaldo to hang up his boots? pic.twitter.com/lkobNDEFQ0
— HF (@HerancaFutebol) February 26, 2022
Ralf Rangnick had to ditch his favoured 4-2-2-2 system only because Ronaldo can’t press and if Man United want to win the Manchester Derby then the manager has to use someone like Rashford upfront.
Yes, Rashford is also having a poor campaign but at least the youngster will be able to chase down defenders and play on the shoulder of the backline.
Should the Man United manager keep Maguire out?
Lindelof paired up with Raphael Varane in the Watford game and immediately Man United were playing a lot higher up the pitch.
Because Lindelof and Varane have good recovery pace, United were able to hold a high line and squeeze the Hornets but with Harry Maguire in the side, they can’t afford to do that.
Both Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof have made 5 ball recoveries each so far, no player on the pitch has more.
Sweeping up at the back. 💪 pic.twitter.com/pWm5bsbYii
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) February 26, 2022
Maguire has no pace whatsoever so whenever he starts, the team has to play deep, thereby allowing their opponents to play with a lot more freedom in midfield.
Harry Maguire has been really poor this season so it would make sense to keep him on the bench and give the pairing of Lindelof and Varane one more chance in central defence.
