Ralf Rangnick is shocked by the way his team came through against Liverpool on Tuesday evening. Manchester United went down 4-0 against manager Jurgen Klopp’s side and that humiliation did not come for the first time this season. Rangnick drew firm conclusions afterwards. “It’s embarrassing, it’s disappointing, maybe even humiliating. We have to accept that they are now six years ahead of us,” the German said. BBC†
Liverpool imposed their will on the visitors in large parts of the game through flashy football; only in the first quarter of the second half did Manchester United look somewhat menacing. Mohamed Salah became the big man with two hits for the home team. “When Jürgen Klopp came to Liverpool, that changed the club. Not only did their team get better, but it lifted the club and the whole city to a higher level,” concluded Rangnick after the earwash. “That should also happen to us in the coming transfer periods.”
Remarkably enough, Rangnick started with five defenders, which led to Luis Díaz after five minutes for the opening goal. The interim manager returned to his trusted formation halfway through by bringing in Jadon Sancho for Phil Jones. “I don’t think a different formation at the start would have changed anything,” Rangnick continued. “The first goal we conceded was not part of our battle plan. We weren’t going to be that high and counterattack. That changed the game. We just weren’t good enough in the first half. We don’t have a first pass. or won second ball.”
And so there is work to be done for Erik ten Hag next summer. The Ajax trainer is about to sign a four-year contract, but has quite a job to do. “There will be a major renovation,” Rangnick said during the press conference. “Six, seven, maybe ten new players are coming. Yes, there is definitely a renovation coming, that was clear to me for the first three to four weeks. For us as coaching staff it is extremely embarrassing to sit here and all that. to hold a press conference. We have to admit that they are much better than us.”
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When asked why things went so wrong for United – in a game in which Rangnick’s side barely produced a shot on goal – the German interim manager simply pointed to the gap between the two sides. “They are one of the best, if not the best team in the world. We are far from it. To get something out of a game you have to be on top of it. In the first half we didn’t. In the second half we did. “We did that 25 minutes, but it wasn’t enough. It’s shameful and disappointing, maybe even humiliating. We have to accept that they are six years ahead of us.”