In December, Rannick joked that he might consider fulfilling the priority clause of the contract extension, just like when he was at Red Bull Leipzig, leading the team for another year at the end of the season. But after 3 months, the Germans should have dispelled this idea. Former Manchester United star Gary Neville has been lashing out at Manchester United's problems in recent times, while suggesting that Rangnick, who cannot control the big stars in the locker room, is still in a hurry to retire and is better off being his own consultant after the season.
Of course, Rangnick also had the support of celebrities such as Ferdinand, but the ultimate decisive factor was the result. At the same time, Manchester United's fate this season has also been largely tied to the Champions League. In the four battle of Tennozan in March, whether the team can meet the second leg with Atletico in full form will be a big question. Because of this, when Manchester United beat relegation team Leeds United, Danny Murphy was very puzzled by the carnival celebration of the players as if they had won the championship, believing that this was a manifestation of the team's lack of confidence: "This is Manchester United... Players should expect more from the season. ”
The Champions League match against Atletico is a test of Rangnick's "gold content", after all, since he took office last December, the German coach has never encountered a real strong opponent. After Solskjaer was sidelined, it was Carrick who led the team in a away draw with Chelsea and a home win over Arsenal. Rangnick's only slightly stronger opponent in the Premier League is Wolves and West Ham United.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's successive defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City have proved that this Red Devils not only have structural hard injuries, but also have fatal shortcomings in terms of technical tactics and willpower. After 15 tough games in office, Rangnick finally saw a little hope. The away game against Madrid tested Rangnick's wisdom and also made United realize their true strength. In the context of Atletico's two top scorers Suarez and Griezmann did not start, Carrasco was suspended, and Lemar and captain Kokai were absent, Manchester United failed to win Atletico, which can only be regarded as half of the main team, but also to see Lannick's always good performance of the impromptu substitution to save the situation. The German coach in Madrid, the performance can only be regarded as unsatisfactory.
It was a showdown between two vulnerable giants for the fate of the season with a slight improvement in form. Neither side can afford to lose, because losing is likely to have a terrible chain reaction. Both teams want to continue the recent sustained upward trend, but the same fragile defensive line makes winning a luxury. Rangnick's only consolation is that the 1-1 score allows him to at least not carry the pressure of reversing the score on the Devils schedule in March, and like the other three hard games, Old Trafford versus Atletico can also be seen as a 90-minute or even 120-minute game-setter. At that time, if Cavani can recover from his injuries, perhaps Rangnick will still have a surprise soldier available.