If the Premier League make-up on Tuesday can beat Brighton at home, United can temporarily rise to fourth place in the league, and in the eyes of interim manager Ralph Lonnick, winning fourth place and continuing to participate in next season's Champions League is the highest goal of the season. As for the Champions League knockout match against Atletico Madrid at the end of this month and the beginning of next month, Lonnick said that the goal is to advance to the top 8 again.
Lonnick said: "At the moment, finishing fourth in the Premier League is what United need and want. This is the highest achievement we can achieve in the domestic competition. If you want to go to the next round in the Champions League, it won't be easy. In the league, it's fourth place, that's what we're after, and that's what we have to accomplish."
The United interim manager declined to discuss whether he would stay next season, saying: "I'm here for 10 to 11 weeks, of course I know what I need next season, but it's not time to discuss it with anybody at the moment, I'm totally focused on tomorrow's game, then Sunday, next Wednesday and the next two weeks. My attention is all on the existing squad, trying to get the best possible result this season, and then, at the end of the season, it's time to discuss the next steps, including next season and the next two years."
United have recently lost the lead in consecutive matches, ending the half with a 1-0 score in three consecutive games, and were finally forced to draw, and even led two goals against Villa in the final 15 minutes. The data shows that in the 13 games that Lonnick has coached, United have led 11 times, won only 6 and scored the second goal in only 3 games. Lonnick said he had had a detailed conversation with sasha Rens, a new sports psychologist, hoping to change the team's psychological fragility through scientific means.
Lonnick revealed that he and Lens have had personal interactions with the players and that United players can also talk to psychologists before the game to solve problems.
He said: "I think it's obvious that if you've taken a 1-0 lead in the last couple of games, 11 of the 13 games we've all led 1-0 and only won half of those games and have been equalised in 3 consecutive games, it affects the mentality of the players. We should have taken a 3-0 or 4-0 lead and suddenly the score went to 1-1 and the players would be hit. They're humans, creatures, not robots, and that's normal."
Lonnick pointed out that United's solution is to score more goals and make sure they don't concede, but it's not just a matter of technical tactics, it also depends on mentality. "There are two things. The first is that we have to score the second and third goals more effectively and end the suspense of the game, which is the first option and we have enough chances to do it. Even if you don't score again, just stick to the game plan, stay steady, maintain tactical discipline, and make sure you don't concede a goal. That's another problem that we have to achieve, and it's what I call the next step."
"For example, we could have led Southampton 2-0 or even 3-0 and we lost the ball at the start of the second half and everyone can understand it, which affects the confidence of the players. I've talked to Sasha [Lens] about it and we talk about it a lot and the only thing we can do is talk to the players one by one to improve the whole team and explain to them why they conceded goals and how to score second and third goals in the future. I feel like the players have followed the coach's philosophy on the pitch and every game has improved. After losing to Wolves, from two games against Villa, they already understand how to do better, but the next step is how to keep that level throughout the game."