“Should score more goals”: Rangnick rebukes Ronaldo

Manchester United lost feathers in the fight for Champions League spots on the weekday matchday of the Premier League. At the relegation candidates FC Burnley, the team of transition coach Ralf Rangnick only managed a 1-1 draw. Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score again.

For the superstar and returnee to Manchester, it was the fifth competitive game in a row without a goal. The Portuguese last experienced such a dry spell in 2010. Overall, CR7 has only scored twice in nine games under Rangnick, the weakest rate since his first professional season in Portugal. “It’s not just about Cristiano Ronaldo,” said Rangnick in the record champions’ press conference before the league game against FC Southampton on Saturday. But the German coach also states: “He should score more goals. I think we create enough chances.”

“It’s not just a problem for Ronaldo”

In nine Premier League games under his aegis, Manchester United have scored just 13 goals, six of which come from victories against Brentford FC and, in the first leg, against Burnley. Only one goal was scored five times and the team failed to score once. “It’s not just a problem for Ronaldo, it’s one of the other games, of course especially in the offensive department,” explains Rangnick.

“Now it’s about rewarding us”

In doing so, he could not accuse his team of playing too little forward. Playing off opportunities works, exploiting them is still lacking. “At Burnley we played very close to our plan 70 minutes out of 90. Now it’s about rewarding ourselves and getting the results we deserve,” said Rangnick. One thing is clear: Should Ronaldo not score against Southampton either, the discussions will get louder.

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