OLD TRAFFORD – A well-known Anglophile like Ralf Rangnick will no doubt have taken in many of Manchester United’s grudge matches with Arsenal over the years – and their encounters are never complete without a bit of needle.
Rangnick’s arrival at Old Trafford, delayed by visa issues – his work permit was finally granted on Thursday – was typically understated. The new interim boss chatted with fans and took selfies as he was welcomed to the ever weird and wonderful world of English football with one of the classic encounters between these two fallen giants.
His task is not to restore United to their previous heights. With no real demand for imminent trophies or even a title challenge, the brief is far more vague than it was for his predecessors, which may prove to be a good thing – after all, it is harder to shoot wide when nobody is entirely sure where the goalposts are now.
Even from the stands, he must have been perplexed by Arsenal’s opening goal, initially disallowed by Martin Atkinson as David de Gea lay prone on the turf. The United ‘keeper had in fact been felled by Fred and with play not being stopped, there were no real grounds to chalk off Emile Smith Rowe’s quick-thinking strike from range, bar some vague interpretation of sportsmanship.
Fred would go on to redeem himself for that inexplicable howler and a number of other thoughtless, misplaced passes, but the overall narrative remains much the same as it was under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Individual errors, Cristiano Ronaldo saves the day with his record-breaking 800th and 801st career goals, and nobody is entirely sure where any of it leaves United.
There is undoubtedly quality in this glittering, under-achieving side aplenty. For United’s equaliser, Jadon Sancho capitalised on a poor clearance to terrorise Arsenal down the left, before Fred stayed up when he could have been outmuscled and waited until the opportune moment to tee up Bruno Fernandes.
On his 100th competitive appearance for United, the Portuguese mustered enough speed on his strike to render Aaron Ramsdale’s fists powerless to stop it.
United’s attack is not always so neatly joined up. Even Ronaldo, who returned after much was made of Carrick’s decision to drop him to the bench against Chelsea, had struggled for rhythm in the early stages, mistiming a bicycle kick and putting his easier chances wide.
When his goal did come – and he became the first player in history to reach the 800 mark, in the week when Lionel Messi won his seventh Ballon d’Or – it was buried in the bottom far corner, thanks to a long ball from Harry Maguire to Marcus Rashford, who cut in and set up his first-time attempt.
Ahead of kick-off, United fans had unfolded a banner bearing the faces of Roy Keane, Bryan Robson and Sir Alex Ferguson reading “STANDARDS”. The trio would have been alarmed at how quickly their side ceded the advantage, the lead lasting just two minutes before Martin Odegaard, often criticised in recent weeks for a lack of tangible contribution, completed a cool finish to make it 2-2.
There is still a pervading sense that, for everything good about the Red Devils, it has to be counter-balanced by something hapless. Alex Telles makes a brilliant back-tracking, possibly goal-saving challenge on Gabriel Martinelli. The next moment, the youngster is clean through on goal anyway.
United kept sufficient momentum to suggest that had it not been for Ronaldo’s penalty – won by Fred from a blatant foul from behind by Odegaard, also not given at the first attempt by Atkinson – they might have found a way to win anyway.
That, in itself, is a shift in perspective. The spectre of Solskjaer still looms large, but something has undoubtedly changed in the psyche. In United’s first home game since his departure, an “Ole 20” banner was unfolded before kick-off and there were songs of the Nou Camp in 1999.
This, however, was a night of new beginnings. United will hope so, anyway. Carrick – who stepped down from the club immediately after the final whistle – had paid tribute to his old boss in his programme notes, admitting: “Results not been what we were looking for but when we look back at Ole’s time we built a team that came very close to success, and did a lot of great work behind scenes that will benefit club for years.”
Rangnick’s task is to build on that. The size of the task ahead of him is still huge, characterised by the persistent defensive mistakes and sloppiness in midfield that has plagued his new club. Scott McTominay was exempt from that, imperious and setting the tone with a number of flying challenges that encompassed passion rather than recklessness.
A matter of weeks ago, it would have been easy to imagine United losing a game in which their mentality was repeatedly tested – and Carrick deserves credit for that turnaround too.
Many believed that when United appointed Rangnick, it was a sign that they had already given up on this season. While he won’t be under any illusions about this squad’s ongoing problems, he will have seen enough to be convinced that the campaign is not a write-off yet.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3dg7TgU
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