A Ralf Rangnick press conference from the 2021-22 campaign is being shared on social media following Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Sunday.
Erik ten Hag lost his first competitive game in charge of the Red Devils at Old Trafford, where fans booed the team following a dismal performance in the opening 45 minutes.
A first-half brace from Pascal Gross put Brighton 2-0 up at the break. Alexis Mac Allister turned the ball into the back of his own net with 20 minutes remaining to give United hope, but Ten Hag’s side were unable to avoid defeat.
United started the game with only two summer arrivals: centre-back Lisandro Martinez and midfielder Christian Eriksen.
The other nine players - David de Gea, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Diogo Dalot, Scott McTominay, Fred, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho - were all part of the Man Utd team that finished sixth in last season’s Premier League table with a goal difference of zero.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 07: Marcus Rashford of Manchester United reacts after a missed chance during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on August 07, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Ralf Rangnick's press conference from last season goes viral
Rangnick’s comments in his press conference after Man Utd suffered a 4-0 defeat away at Liverpool in April seem pertinent now.
"The team needs a rebuild,” Rangnick said at the time, “not because some players have to go but quite a few have no contracts anymore, their contracts are expiring, then for me it's clear there will be six, seven, eight, maybe ten new players.
“Before you sign those players, you need to be aware of how you want to play, what kind of football does the new manager want to play?
“If you look at the two clubs that are currently dominating the Premier League [Manchester City and Liverpool], they did exactly that. They changed the whole thing with regards to formation, what kind of players do we need, what kind of football do we want to play?
“The headline of everything was: ‘How do we want to play?’
“And underneath this headline, in every transfer window they’ve created the team that they have in both clubs.”
Watch the video here:
Let’s check out some of the reaction from Man Utd fans:
Should Man Utd have kept Ralf Rangnick at the club?
United supporters found it refreshing to hear a manager speaking so openly about the club’s problems last season.
But performance levels under the German coach, who was working as Lokomotiv Moscow’s manager of sports and development when he received the surprise call from United to replace the sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, were consistently poor.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 05: Ralf Rangnick, Manager of Manchester United looks on after the Premier League match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on December 05, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
The 64-year-old was expected to become a consultant at Old Trafford after his interim spell as head coach ended in the summer, but his decision to become Austria’s new manager led to that particular plan being cancelled.