“Yesterday's game was exciting for the fans, but even for myself, as the future coach, those are not the kind of games that we need every day”.
Ralf Rangnick was present for a blockbuster at Old Trafford on Thursday night as Manchester United came from behind to beat Arsenal 3-2.
It was a thriller for the neutral that had a bit of everything, though in his first press conference as Manchester United boss on Friday morning, Rangnick was clear that these aren’t the sort of spectacles he’ll want to see from his United side going forward.
“Yesterday, we conceded two goals, we needed three goals to win the game and if you look at the total number of goals conceded, it is almost two on average, per game, and this is just too much.
"Football, for me, is to minimise the coincidence factor and have control and gain control of a game. This is football, what it's about. This is my approach and I will try to help these outstanding, talented players to try and keep away from their own goal.”
Rangnick’s coaching reputation has predominantly been built on aggressive high-octane football. Direct vertical passing and pressing high up the pitch.
Though he’ll take elements of this into his tactics at United, his comments suggest that he wants to see a more commanding style going forward.
This is likely to mean more ball control, sustained pressure and territorial dominance, each of which should in practice see United playing the bulk of their football closer to the opposition’s goal, and away from their own.
Too often under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United’s games mirrored basketball matches, with the ball moving from one end to the other in a you shoot we shoot fashion. A point captured by analysing United’s defensive and attacking numbers this season.
As it stands, United have conceded 24 goals - only four sides have conceded more. Furthermore, only two sides have a higher combined Expected Goals Against (xGA) total 23.9.
But United also rank inside the league’s top five in both of these departments from an attacking sense.
Additionally, in terms of shots attempted and shots faced per 90, United again sit inside the league’s top six for both.
Therefore whilst they’ve remained a consistent attacking threat throughout the campaign, so many shots allowed at the other end has meant they’ve been at the mercy of things such as the finishing capabilities of opponents, luck and goalkeeping performances.
It’s therefore little wonder that results have been so inconsistent.
Rangnick clearly has a plan though, and the clarity of his messages on Friday morning should leave United fans hopeful that these chaotic displays that they’ve become accustomed to can start to be eradicated as the season progresses.
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