How Rangnick has destroyed Man Utd’s attack - and Ronaldo
FT Desk
- 15 Feb 2022 11:46 GMT
- 3 min read
Manchester United’s attack has completely fallen apart since the arrival of Ralf Rangnick.
Rangnick succeeded the sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager in December, with supporters hoping that the much-vaunted German coach would bring about better fortunes at Old Trafford.
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However, Man Utd continue to struggle to qualify for next season’s Champions League. They are currently in fifth position in the Premier League with only 14 games of the season remaining.
United are a whopping 23 points behind league leaders Man City and were also recently eliminated from the FA Cup by Championship side Middlesbrough.
Rangnick is under intense pressure from both fans and his players. There are constant reports in the media that the German has lost part of the dressing room and does not see eye-to-eye with star player Cristiano Ronaldo.
Who has a better record - Rangnick or Solskjaer?
When we look at the stats, Rangnick has earned more points per game this season than his predecessor Solskjaer.
Rangnick has won six, drawn six and lost one of his 13 games in charge. Solskajer, meanwhile, won nine, drew four and lost seven of his 20 matches before he was dismissed. It should be noted, though, that Rangnick has had a very kind fixture list so far and has not played Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham since arriving.
Whilst again taking into account the opposition, the former Red Bull supremo has tightened up Man Utd’s defence. As calculated by ESPN in the graphic below, they have conceded 0.8 goals per game under Rangnick, compared to 1.6 goals per game under Solskjaer. A huge improvement.
However, Man Utd’s attack has declined substantially under Rangnick. They are averaging a miserly 1.3 goals per game under Rangnick, down from 1.7 goals per game under Solskjaer.
When one considers that Man Utd’s opponents have included Middlesbrough, Burnley, Brentford, Norwich (twice) and Newcastle, this is very concerning.
Ronaldo enjoyed a brilliant start to his second spell at Man Utd under Solskjaer but his form has plummeted under Rangnick.
Cristiano has failed to score a single goal in 2022 and has just two strikes since Rangnick arrived. He scored 12 goals under Solskjaer.
It is no surprise that Ronaldo is so frustrated at the situation and is said to be already preparing his exit from the club in the summer.
As for United, they simply must improve their attacking or they run the very real risk of failing to qualify for the Champions League. They will be hoping to improve right away in Tuesday’s Premier League match against Brighton at home.
