Ralf Rangnick claims his side didn’t take risk when they were in possession of the ball as he insists they play without conviction and aggression.
Manchester United interim Ralf Rangnick says his side didn’t take risk agsinst Atletico Madrid in the Champions League game.
The English side got 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Champions League knockout stage in Madrid.
Speaking with the media after the game the German claims his side didn’t take any risk when they were in possession.
“We were too apprehensive with the ball [in the first half]. We didn’t take any risks when we were in possession of the ball, we just played in our own half, without any deep runs, without physicality, and it is difficult against a team like Atletico, conceding an early goal.
“It was difficult to prevent. I must say it was a brilliant cross straight to the near post, difficult to defend against. But, again, we have to be more aggressive and we have to play with more conviction on the ball.
“We need to do what we did in the last couple of weeks and also against a team like Atletico we need more deep runs. The way that we scored the goal was exactly that, a deep run from Anthony Elanga, a fantastic pass. We won the ball in the centre of the pitch, and this is how we have to play against them.”
Manchester United struggled in the first half of the game against Atletico Madrid and that baffled Rangnick as he insists they play with no conviction and aggression on the ball.
“I don’t know if I rescued it, but after the performance in the first half, it could only get better because of how we played in the first half. I still cannot believe what we did [in the first half].
“We played without conviction, without the necessary aggression against the ball and that’s why we were really struggling in the first half.
“In the second half we were much better, we had possession in areas that mattered, and I think with another ten minutes to play we might have even won the game. Again, we just have to play better than we did in the first half. I was very disappointed in our performance in the first half.”
