Ralf Rangnick blames himself for Man Utd’s Premier League slump and admits Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘not a pressing monster’
OUTGOING interim Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick blames himself for the club’s collapse this season. The German was brought in to steady the ship following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure last November but failed to get the squad to completely buy into his philosophy. Rangnick’s failure to adapt his strategy to his squad’s strengths has left […]
OUTGOING interim Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick blames himself for the club’s collapse this season.
The German was brought in to steady the ship following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure last November but failed to get the squad to completely buy into his philosophy.
Rangnick’s failure to adapt his strategy to his squad’s strengths has left United in a final-day battle for the Europa League spot that comes with sixth place.
And he shoulders the blame for the club losing their last five away matches on the bounce, saying: “We never came near to that aggressive, pro-active football I’d normally want to do.
“It has to do with physicality if you want to play like that. I should have done better and developed this team in a more sustainable way.”
Rangnick also laments his asking of a 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo to be part of a high-pressing side.
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He continued: “I am not blaming Cristiano at all, he did great in games, but he is not a pressing monster.
“Even when he was young, he wasn’t shouting, “The other team has the ball, where can we win balls?
‘It was the same with quite a few other players so we had to make compromises at one stage.
“We never found the right balance between what do we need with the ball and without the ball.”
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Rangnick will be replaced at the Old Trafford helm by former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, who will officially take charge of the Red Devils in the summer.
And he’s expecting the Dutchman to make some serious changes to the current squad to be able to implement his style of football.
He said: ” If you saw the way that Erik’s Ajax team play or his Under 23s team at Bayern Munich, it’s pretty obvious how he wants to play and clear what kind of players he needs.
“There will be changes.
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“I think it’s obvious to everybody, the owners and every supporter, we need to increase and raise the level of quality within the squad.”
United will bid to seal the final Europa League space with a victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this afternoon.
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