Ralf Rangnick, the coach of Manchester United, urged his team to show more defensive solidity before a crucial period that will determine their chances of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League and may affect his future as interim manager. Rangnick, who took over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last November, has struggled to reshape United's season after a poor start, currently trailing Tottenham Hotspur by three points for fourth place.
Rangnick told reporters ahead of their away match against second-placed Liverpool on Tuesday, "We need to play closer together, and we need to find the right balance between what we do when we have the ball and what we need to do to defend our goal." He added, "We definitely need to be closer together and more aggressive... this is what we need to show tomorrow against a team that is probably among the best at creating dangerous chances from inside and around the box. We need to be at our defensive best."
Rangnick acknowledged that Liverpool, sitting just one point behind leaders Manchester City, will start the match as the favorites, but his team is capable of frustrating the home side. He said, "Even though we may have fewer chances than many, we still know that if we raise our level and play well, we have a chance to earn three points. That will be our ambition and goal."
The German coach confirmed that midfielder Bruno Fernandes was involved in a car accident earlier in the day, but he was unharmed and will be ready to play against Liverpool. Rangnick said, "Yes, he was training with the team, and the accident happened on his way to Carrington (United’s training ground). To my knowledge, no one was injured. He’s fine and will be fine tomorrow."
However, United is likely to miss defender Raphael Varane again after he sat out the last two league matches due to a muscle injury. Rangnick added, "He hasn’t trained with the team; he was out on the pitch with one of our rehabilitation coaches. In terms of injury status, we have the same situation as we did in the last two matches." United's injury list also includes midfielders Fred and Scott McTominay, left-back Luke Shaw, and striker Edinson Cavani.
