In all fairness, Middlesbrough’s equaliser through Matt Crooks was pretty controversial due to Duncan Watmore’s handball in the build-up, but the searing truth of the matter is that United’s defeat was all their own doing, nonetheless.
And, to be fair also to German tactician and father of the Gegenpressing, Ralf Rangnick’s time at Old Trafford so far has been appreciably solid, despite a tad unspectacular with some laudable moments of progress followed by frustrating setbacks along the way. All due to a squad littered with a mish-mash of talented but lackadaisical players not committed to the German’s philosophy but who would rather pursue their own dodgy ways.
He addressed his dilemma with the press just before the game, explaining:
“As a manager, as a head coach, you can never be satisfied.
“The average points-per-game is okay, it could have been more.
“If we look back at all those games and when we did concede goals and when did we score the goals, I think, in total, we cannot be pleased but it’s quite okay.
“The results have been good and now it’s about developing as a team and the better we play, the more control we get on games, the more likely will it be to get results in the next weeks.”
The shocking defeat to Middlesbrough summed up in the proverbial nutshell the sort of see-saw spells that the United boys have had to endure this season.
To his credit, Rangnick had named a strong side for the clash with their Championship opponents with the likes of Jadon Sancho, Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo alI in play and the Premier League former giants were firmly on top of the scramble throughout the first half in particular, as the quality of their individual and team play showed against Chris Wilder’s side.
From the get-go, United smelt the anxiety and nerves of an edgy Middlesbrough side and went straight for blood, but unfortunately for the United fans, the club’s top stars were unable to make the visitors suffer.
Supposed dangerman Cristiano Ronaldo missed with an ambitious overhead kick, and followed this up with a penalty kick later that went wide of the mark that left the whole of Old Trafford stunned.
Similarly, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford also had appreciably decent efforts that weren’t converted – with the Portuguese midfielder hitting the post with a wide, open goal.
Thankfully, an in-form Jadon Sancho cranked up the gears to secure the lead with a slick effort before the break, and the painful truth of the matter is that the Red Devils should have been out of sight in the lead by then, yet this was not to be.
The second half continued for the Red Devils in the same vein as Middlesbrough defended gamely for their lives, frustrating the hosts at every turn, before grabbing a highly controversial equaliser through Matt Crooks.
Unfortunately for Rangnick who is often unfairly and undeservedly criticised for trying to implement his intense pressing tactics, the Middlesbrough match did not produce the results that should have been despite getting his game plan spot on. It wasn’t for the lack of attacking that deprived the Reds of their victory but the clear lack of cool heads up front in the thick of the action.
As far as Rangnick is concerned, the statistics don’t lie. With 71% possession and 30 shots on goal, it’s clear that Rangnick’s match plan was not the issue against Middlesbrough on Friday night.
With those numbers dominating, United should have romped to victory.
It’s clear that if Manchester United are to finish in the top four this season, their big players need to step up to the plate and be accountable instead of trying to pass the buck.
Ronaldo, Fernandes and Rashford were all guilty of missing big opportunities throughout the game. Stomping off petulantly into the nearest end of tunnels and pointing fingers or casting aspersions just won’t cut it anymore.
Instead of pointing the finger at Rangnick, developing a ruthless streak instead of cultivating petulance and complacency should be the primary focus facing the squad now. Rangnick is already doing the best he can to try to get them into shape. It is all up to them and has been so since the German joined.
If they can commit to doing this, then few would dare bet against them challenging at the top. However, if they continue to struggle, the likelihood is that they’ll continue to fall flat and hard on their faces.