Ralf Rangnick’s comments after Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Norwich on Saturday outlined what tactical trait Erik ten Hag may need to instil into his side going into next season.
The hosts ran out winners thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 60th career hat-trick. But the team were criticised for a lack of assertion against a team doomed for relegation.
The Premier League’s bottom club seemed to have bursts of physical dominance during several phases of the game. In fact, the stats show that United made a disproportionate amount of tackles in relation to the possession they held.
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The hosts had the lion’s share with 61 per cent. The team out of possession is expected to make more challenges than their opponents but Norwich only put in four more tackles than United’s 16.
This, among other aspects, caused Rangnick to critique his side's desire to get stuck in. Speaking after the win over the Canaries, he said: "If you look at the two goals we conceded, especially the first one, we had the ball on the sideline but we were just not physical enough.
“As soon as there is body contact we have to be more physical, more aggressive, but we weren't. It was, for me, too easy, and that's why we are probably the only team in the league who concedes goals like this."
He added: "If you want to defend properly in this league, you just have to be physical. You shouldn't just allow them to go past ourselves and through our lines like that.”
Ten Hag may want to take heed of his soon-to-be predecessor’s comments as a point of action for when he arrives at Old Trafford. Whether he will or not remains unclear, though, with his Ajax side out-bossed by PSV in tackles (20 to 34) in his side’s Dutch Cup final loss on Sunday, perhaps indicating his thoughts on aggressive defending.
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