Berlin – After a football night with great emotions, Jürgen Klopp and Ralf Rangnick were worlds apart. Liverpool coach Klopp is on course for four titles after the furious 4-0 win and said proudly: “It was really a good evening for everyone with a heart for Liverpool.” At Rangnick, for whom the long-awaited Champions League qualification with Manchester United is getting further and further away after the bankruptcy, it almost sounded bitter. “It’s embarrassing and disappointing and demeaning,” he said Tuesday night. United had already clearly lost the first leg in Manchester with 0:5.
„You’ll never walk alone“ für Cristiano Ronaldo
Away from all sporting rivalries, there was a moving moment at Anfield early in the evening. Fans of both teams clapped for Cristiano Ronaldo for 60 seconds in the seventh minute of the game and fervently agreed to the legendary “You’ll never walk alone”. For this sequence, the rivalry between the two clubs was dormant, while the fans tried to offer consolation to the Portuguese football star. This is how the fans expressed their support for Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez after their heavy blow of fate.
“This is exactly how football should be – all rivalries aside at this moment,” said Klopp. “There is only one thing that is important, and that was really a demonstration of class.” The 37-year-old Ronaldo mourns his partner for their son. The wording in a statement suggested that he did not survive the twin birth. “Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to have some hope and cheerfulness in this moment,” it said. “It’s the worst that can happen,” said coach Rangnick.
The human tragedy surrounding Ronaldo, who was not at the game, comes at a time when things are difficult for United on a sporting level. Without the injured Edinson Cavani, Scott McTominay, Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane and Fred, who had not traveled at all, Manchester was just a kind of sparring partner for Champions League semi-finalists Liverpool on Tuesday. Luis Diaz (5th minute), double scorer Mohamed Salah (22nd/85th) and Sadio Mané (68th) scored for the Reds, who still have chances of four trophies – the quadruple. The Reds have been unbeaten in home league games since March 2021.
With a game more, Liverpool took the lead in the Premier League, two points ahead of Manchester City, and qualification for the Champions League is already complete with six games to go. “It’s also an exceptional situation because Manchester United isn’t in a good mood and played more or less without the usual midfield,” Klopp said. The Daily Mail summed up United: “They weren’t beaten here, they were chased away.” The Manchester Evening News had seen “the best Liverpool team in decades” and “the worst Manchester United team in decades”.
Manchester United, on the other hand, missed out on points with Tottenham in fourth place due to the defeat and also played a game more than Spurs. An injury to Paul Pogba exacerbates the situation for the former premier class winner. “He pulled his calf muscle,” Rangnick said. “I’m afraid he won’t be available against Arsenal or Chelsea.” Pogba had to leave the field after just ten minutes.
Ralf Rangnick sees a great need for change at Manchester
The 63-year-old Rangnick made it clear how much has to change in Manchester in order to be able to act at Liverpool FC’s level again in the future. “You just have to accept that they have a six-year lead. When Jürgen Klopp came and all the changes were made, it took the club – and the city – to a whole new level. That must also happen here in the coming transfer windows,” warned Rangnick, who will give up his post as interim coach after the season and then act as a consultant for United. For Rangnick it is clear that “six, seven, eight, maybe ten new players” have to come.
According to media reports, his successor will be Dutchman Erik ten Hag. According to the Guardian, Hag should be given a three-year contract with an option for a further season and make final decisions on transfers with the club’s management. In addition, his previous club, Ajax Amsterdam, should receive a transfer fee of two million euros.
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