Ralf Rangnick played his fifth Premier League match as Manchester United welcomed Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford. Raphael Varane, the French superstar, returned to the defense to play alongside Phil Jones.
The return of Phil Jones to the starting lineup, though, grabbed all of the early attention. It was the Englishman’s first appearance in 707 days, which was a welcome sight for a player who has struggled with injuries throughout his career.
Wolves arrived in Manchester with a great statistic. There has been no more than one goal per game in their last seven Premier League appearances.
Given their previous emphasis on defensive structure, the game plan appears to be rather straightforward. However, it wasn’t just the Wolves who had improved their defense; United had only allowed two goals during Rangnick’s brief stint.
1980 – Wolves have picked up their first away league win against Manchester United since February 1980, ending a run of 10 visits to Old Trafford without a win (D3 L7). United. #MUNWOL pic.twitter.com/a1lIOGRVSz
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 3, 2022
The Old Trafford faithful have seen a return of ten points from a possible twelve since his appointment as temporary manager, but the performances have done little to encourage hope of a new era of counter-pressing. The key to consistency in performance is consistency in selection. The players were expected to put in a strong performance but that didn’t happen.
Manchester United suffered a shock 0-1 defeat by the hands of Wolves to sum up a rather disappointing day for the players and fans.
Five talking points from the match :
1. A slow start for the Reds :
Most times possession lost by Man Utd in a Premier League game at Old Trafford this season:
◉ 154 vs. Burnley
◉ 150 vs. Crystal Palace
◎ 147 vs. Leeds
◎ 146 vs. Everton
◉ 145 vs. WolvesAll three Ralf Rangnick home games make the top five. 😳 pic.twitter.com/vMOFK5ouyK
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 3, 2022
United started slowly out of the blocks once again, which has become a sad habit of this set of players. Everyone anticipated that the first half against Burnley would show that why it is advantageous to start a game aggressively, but I was mistaken.
2. De Gea’s importance:
The Spaniard reminds the world of his value to this team on a regular basis. He continues to put in vintage performances and, more concerningly, is staking his claim for the club’s player of the season once more. Where would United be if he wasn’t here?
3. Full-back’s change in position.
Rangnick wants his fullbacks to operate as second wing players and maintain a strong press. While there is much to criticize at the individual and team level, the continuing high positioning of both full-backs gives the manager’s tactical vision a good chance of being successfully implemented.
4. Phil Jones was incredible.
He appeared as if he had never been away on what must have been an extremely emotional day for the center-back. He was calm and composed in his play, scarcely putting a foot wrong. Critics may point to his headed clearance before the goal, but his participation today was more than justified in light of a team effort that left more questions than answers.
5. A deserving defeat:
A defeat was looking very likely after some inconsistent performances in recent games and United has been riding their luck by producing few decent results in recent weeks. It was only a matter of time until this happened, and now, as in the past, these players must take a hard look in the mirror. The fans are tired of waiting for a reaction from these players, but that’s where we are.
