Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has criticised his players after the team succumbed to a shock 1-0 loss to Everton on Saturday.
Addressing the media (h/t Manchester Evening News), Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has hit out at his players after they suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat to Everton in the Premier League.
With their hopes of a top-four finish hanging by a thread, Manchester United desperately needed a victory at Goodison Park. Considering that Everton were loitering in the 17th position and were extremely low on confidence after a loss to Burnley earlier in the week, the Red Devils were expected to bag a straightforward win.
However, it was another dull and disjointed display from Manchester United, which has become a familiar sight during Rangnick’s tenure. And a first-half goal from Anthony Gordon proved to be enough for Everton to eke out a vital victory as they hope to beat the threat of relegation.
Speaking after the game, manager Rangnick criticised the Manchester United players for failing to capitalise on Everton’s situation and low confidence. “I think we had a good start into the game,” Rangnick said. “The first 25 minutes, we were in control of the game but we didn’t take enough, make enough advantage of that dominant period in the game,” he added.
Man United have won just 47% of their Premier League games under Ralf Rangnick.
Their lowest win rate under any manager in the competition ? pic.twitter.com/9BRUGl8iY2
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 9, 2022
“We could feel that they were crumbling after that result against Burnley, quite logically they were not full of confidence, but we didn’t take advantage of that. Their first shot at goal, they scored, it changed the game, it also changed – what was expected to happen – it changed the atmosphere in the stadium and in the second half they just defended and we were not able to break that wall down.”
“When we conceded, we lost a little bit of our composure and maybe also a little bit of our confidence and if you don’t score against a team against Everton, with all respect a team that conceded against three goals against Burnley, you cannot expect to get anything out of it.”
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea delivered a brutal verdict after the game, calling the team a disgrace. When asked to comment on the Spaniard’s take, Rangnick said, “We’ve been talking about that for the last 10 minutes. I totally agree. It is not so difficult to see.”
“If you don’t score in 95 minutes against a team that conceded three goals against Burnley and we scored three goals against Tottenham at home, it’s difficult to explain. For us, as a coaching staff, it’s not so easy to understand why we didn’t create more chances in a game like this.”
The defeat now leaves Manchester United six points shy of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. With only seven games left, in which they have to face the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, the Red Devils can pretty much kiss their hopes of a top-four finish goodbye.
