Interim Manchester United manager Ralph Rangnick was not pleased with his side’s lackluster performance during the 1-1 draw with Newcastle United in the Premier League on Monday.
Newcastle missed a number of dangerous chances, and Rangnick did not save from his first loss as a United coach, only the amazing performance of goalkeeper David de Gea.
“I didn’t like the performance at all,” the German told Sky Sports after extending his unbeaten career with United to four matches. We didn’t control the game except for a few moments. It’s all about energy, physical condition and who wins the second ball. In all of those areas we weren’t at our best. The good thing is we got a point but the performance needs to be better.
United looked in trouble each time Newcastle advanced and Rangnick, who started his career with 1-0 wins over Crystal Palace and Norwich City, defended his decision to switch to a 4-2-3-1 approach against Newcastle.
“Today, it wasn’t about the formation,” Rangnick said. “It was a question of how aggressive we were. You have to be ready and able to win those common balls and that’s not often the case.
“If you want to be competitive here you have to be physically strong and that wasn’t the case in many parts of the match.” We should not look for excuses.. we need to be better and get more physical strength.
