Ralf Rangnick acknowledges that he will leave Manchester United with some regrets because he might have done things differently, with the German tactician believing that the present Old Trafford model is “not sustainable.”
During his time as temporary manager at Old Trafford, the German strategist has failed to achieve a top-four finish or Champions League qualification.
Following the resignation of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021, Ralf Rangnick became the interim coach of Manchester United until the end of the season.
He was able to tighten up United’s defense at first, but more leaks soon appeared as questions were raised about Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates in the final third of the field, leaving an ambitious club facing another season without Champions League football and a major summer transfer market rebuild.
Did Ralf Rangnick make any errors at Manchester United?
When asked by MUTV if there was anything he and the club could have done differently during a trying period, Rangnick responded, “Of sure, you do that after every training session, after every game you play.
“Not only here, but as I previously stated, we were on the right track. We developed the team and conceded fewer goals in the first few weeks and months, but we suddenly had trouble scoring our own goals since we were missing some offensive players.
“However, as I already stated, we were not sustainable in general. We were unable to develop and stabilize the team in all important areas in a sustainable manner. That is why we are in this situation.”
Will Manchester United play in Europe in the 2022-23 season?
Rangnick has guided United to their lowest Premier League finish in history, with the top four once again proving elusive.
The Red Devils might yet finish seventh on the final day, meaning they will play in the Europa Conference League next season, but everyone involved is determined to finish on a high note away at Crystal Palace and avoid the second rung of Thursday night action.
“It’s bad enough that we won’t be playing in the Champions League on Tuesday and Wednesday nights,” Rangnick said. “But knowing that we’ll be playing on Thursday evening, I think it’s important, even more so for the players, also for our supporters, that we qualify for Europa League because Manchester United reached the final of the Europa League the season before.
“They played in the final against Villarreal last season, and Frankfurt won the Europa League in style two days ago, qualifying for the Champions League.” This is why I believe qualifying for the Europa League is crucial.”
