Manchester United returns to action today, at home to Burnley, after having been stopped on the 27th in the visit to Newcastle – they drew 1-1 and was closer to losing than to winning. Raphael Varane, who returned to the team after nearly two months of absence, lost the ball in the home team’s goal; Harry Maguire, who played alongside him, also lived through a rough night.
But for Ralf Rangnick, coach of the red devils, the problem was not with the centre-backs. “Rapha hadn’t played for six weeks and even before that he had been injured. It’s true that he made a mistake before the goal we conceded, but other than that I think he did well. Just like Harry. They weren’t great, but our problem was that we allowed Newcastle too many transitional moments. And this is not just a problem for central defenders, it is a problem for the whole team and it starts there. We can also talk about the role of numbers 10 in this type of training. [4x2x2, com Bruno Fernandes e Rashford atrás dos dois avançados]. I don’t think it makes sense to talk about individual performances, we have to improve as a team», defended the German.
And for Rangnick, there’s a lot to improve – something Covid’s focus on United has hampered. «Any coach wants to take faster and wider steps, but for that we need to train. we had to close [o centro de treinos de] Carrington for four days, and before that we had eight or nine fielders to train. But in the two or three days before the meeting with Newcastle we had almost everyone and the team seemed to be doing well, so the way we played in terms of speed, pace and physical condition was a negative surprise”, he admitted.
Lindelof, with Covid, Pogba, injured, and Bruno Fernandes, suspended, are certain casualties for today.
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