Rangnick: It’s players who have lost touch
RALF RANGNICK is losing his patience with his misfiring Manchester United forwards after they fired a blank in the goalless draw against Watford yesterday.
Interim United boss Rangnick has been criticised for being out of touch, while his American coach
Chris Armas has been compared to the comedy character Ted
Lasso during United’s lacklustre run that has produced only six goals in their last seven games at Old
Trafford. However, the German was in no mood to allow his stars to escape responsibility.
‘Our job as coaches is to help the team to create enough chances,’ he said. ‘If we’d only had two or three against Watford, we could ask ourselves why.
‘But the number of chances we had, they have to be enough to win the game. We need to be sharper in front of goal. If you miss that many, it’s difficult to win.’
Bruno Fernandes, given the captain’s armband with Harry Maguire left out, missed three openings and youngster Anthony Elanga fired wide from close range in the second half. Cristiano Ronaldo struck the post and has scored only once in 10 games.
‘That was not the only one we missed,’ added Rangnick. ‘It is not luck, it is a question of sharpness and efficiency in front of goal.’
United will be overtaken by Arsenal in the race for a top-four place with the Gunners holding three games in hand.
Meanwhile, Watford’s manager Roy Hodgson was delighted with his side’s efforts considering their battle against relegation.
‘We showed we’re fighting for our lives,’ he said. ‘It was a real team performance against opponents with superstars.
‘We are blessed with a top goalkeeper (Ben Foster) and we needed him at times.
I thought the boys did as much as we could ask of them. They should be proud of their performance.
‘Can we stay that steadfast in defence? Can our three midfield players cover that much ground? We have to keep that up. There is no easier way to stay up.’