Manchester United will not repeat Liverpool’s 30-year title wait – Ralf Rangnick

• Posted on April 19, 2022April 19, 2022
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Manchester United will not repeat rival Liverpool’s 30-year spell without a league title but must improve their recruitment to challenge, says interim manager Ralf Rangnick.

United, who have not won the Premier League since 2013, travel to Anfield as rank outsiders on Tuesday.

While Liverpool are chasing an unprecedented quadruple, United’s only challenge is to finish in the top four.

“There needs to be a rebuild for the future,” Rangnick said.

“I suppose this [30 years without a title] will not happen because it is pretty obvious what needs to change.”

Liverpool, who beat United 5-0 in the reverse fixture earlier this season, won the Premier League in 2020 to end a three-decade wait for a top-flight title stretching back to 1990.

Ajax boss Eril Ten Hag’s appointment as the latest man to attempt to end United’s sorry run could possibly be confirmed as early as this week.

He will be the fifth permanent manager since United’s last title win under Sir Alex Ferguson.

“If you know what you are looking for it will take two or three windows,” said Rangnick, who was appointed as United’s interim manager in November.

“If you don’t know what you are looking for it is a needle in a haystack.

“If you know what kind of football you want to play and what kind of profiles you want for each individual position, then it is about finding the players and convincing them to come.”

Remarkably, Rangnick played a role in the careers of six current Liverpool players. 

He worked with Roberto Firmino at Hoffenheim and Joel Matip at Schalke, in addition to Sadio Mane, Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate and Takumi Minamino, who were all signed while Rangnick was director of football at the Red Bull group of clubs.

“It is not complicated. It is not rocket science,” said Rangnick.

“Liverpool finished eighth in the season Jurgen arrived. Then it took two transfer windows. They brought in the right players and got rid of the right players. That is why they are where they are.”

Liverpool go into the match one point behind leaders Manchester City with seven games remaining this season.

“We have to be angry in a good way, greedy, all these kind of things, like you are if you have won nothing and would be with nil points and it’s the most important three points in your life,” said Klopp.

“That’s the attitude we need for this game. If we let United do [what they want] they will cause us massive problems.

“We have to be in the right mood, the people have to be in the right mood to really be ready to fight for the three points and not want to show we are in a better moment than United.”

Man Utd’s Chelsea complaint

BBC Sport understands Rangnick is not impressed at the scheduling of what should have been United’s penultimate game of the season against Chelsea at Old Trafford.

The match was due to be played on Sunday, 15 May but has to be moved as the date clashes with the FA Cup Final.

The Premier League have confirmed the fixture for Thursday 28, April (1945BST). 

That means United will go a fortnight without a game from their trip to Brighton on 7 May to their final match at Crystal Palace on 22 May.

Aside from that irritation, it means key central midfielder Fred could also miss out as there is no guarantee he will have recovered from the groin injury he sustained in the dismal defeat at Everton on 9 April.

-BBC