5 things Manchester United need to improve upon to finish inside the top four
Manchester United have played 12 matches across all competitions since Ralf Rangnick was appointed interim manager. They have had a relatively easy set of fixtures to navigate and yet they have only won six of those games.
How much of an impact has Ralf Rangnick had at Manchester United?
Manchester United have only scored 14 goals in Rangnick's first 12 games in charge as manager. They have conceded nine. The Red Devils have shored up their defence more or less and exhibit a lot more control over proceedings these days than they did towards the end of Solskjaer's reign.
The Old Trafford faithful will tell you that their team has in fact outplayed their opposition in almost all of their games under Rangnick. But they just don't have the results to show for it. It is exciting and entertaining football but the results have been massively frustrating and the players have to take responsibility.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five things Manchester United need to improve on to finish inside the top four.
#5 Exercise greater control over spells
After their 1-1 draw against 20th placed Burnley on Tuesday night, Manchester United captain Harry Maguire said:
"We wanted to dominate the game but for sure when you come to Burnley away you are not going to dominate for 90 minutes. We had to see it out better. We conceded like against Middlesbrough when they had that spell of pressure. We have got to be that bit more clinical."
The problem with the Red Devils in recent weeks, where they have, time and again, come up against weaker opposition, is that they lose control of the game for extended spells. Take the game against Aston Villa for example.
Manchester United had a two-goal advantage going into the final 15 minutes of the game. They were then swept away by Aston Villa in the final quarter of an hour and the game ended 2-2. On Tuesday, they played Burnley out of the park in the first half and the Clarets couldn't even register a shot on goal in the first 45.
But Sean Dyche's men were able to come out in the second half and take the game to Manchester United and get their equalizer. The same thing happened against Middlesbrough last week, where the Championship side were afforded time to get into their groove and have a shot at winning the game.
The worst thing about all of this seems to be that the United captain believes that his team cannot dominate for 90 minutes. Few teams can dominate for 90 minutes at a stretch, but when they are on top, they make it count better than Rangnick's men do. The Red Devils don't make their domination translate to goals.
They also seem to concede every time they relinquish control or get on the back foot. Ralf Rangnick's men need to do better at managing games, especially when they are in control.
Don't think Manchester United fans will be too pleased with Harry Maguire's defense on that Burnley equalizer 😬 https://t.co/pVFuRkTNlk
#4 Improve their attacking down the right flank
The main reasoning behind choosing Diogo Dalot over Aaron Wan-Bissaka in recent times seems to be that the former is much better in an attacking sense. While Dalot has had a couple of moments in each of the last few games, he has not dispensed his primary attacking duties well.
The 22-year-old shares no understanding with Marcus Rashford. He does not make overlapping or underlapping runs as well as Luke Shaw does and he hardly ever puts in a cross. The Portuguese international's ability to whip crosses into the box from the right wing and that was hailed as his redemptive quality.
But his crossing has been particularly awful in recent weeks. He has improved massively on the defensive side of things but seems to offer nothing going forward.
The less said about Rashford's effectiveness down the right flank, the better. With Mason Greenwood rightly suspended and unlikely to feature for the club ever again, United's right-wing problem is set to persist for longer.
The Red Devils are a team that mostly progresses the ball down the flanks. Without proper balance, this team is going to suffer as opponents know exactly what to expect from them each time they foray forward.
Sancho on the left is fine, but Rashford's end product has always struggled on the right. He makes plenty of runs but has little combination with the RB, especially in the final third. I miss the Rashford/Shaw interplay, it used to be great.