But Rangnick has noticed a worrying
theme in five of the recent United
matches that he has watched — the
team are unable to control games.
The handbrake-off mantra of the Ole
Gunnar Solskjaer era may have led to
thrilling, end-to-end games, but that is
not what his replacement wants to see.
“Yesterday’s game was exciting for
the fans, but even for myself, as the
future coach, those are not the kind of
games that we need every day because
football, for me, is about minimising the
coincidence factor and having control
of the game,” Rangnick said of United’s
comeback win. “Until the final whistle,
it could have been 4-2 or 3-3, this is the
exciting thing about football.
“But as a coach, you don’t want
games to develop that way, that any-
thing can happen.”
That does not mean that Rangnick in-
tends to bring back the safety-first strat-
egy of the Louis van Gaal era that sent
supporters to sleep.
He instead wants to
develop a coher-
ent game plan
based on ball-
retention and
counterpressing
in the final third.
Enabling his
players to get the
ball as far away from
their own goal and
keeping it there is the objec-
tive of the 63-year-old German.
“We have to transfer the game away
from our own box more into [the
final third], because this is where we
have our essence and our weapons,”
Rangnick said.
“I will try to help these outstanding,
talented players to try and keep away
from their own goal. To gain control
on games in the future we have to
play proactively, no matter if we haveRonaldo sealed United’s win against
Arsenal from the penalty spot but
Rangnick was not entirely happy27
Cristiano Ronaldo made
27 ‘pressures’ in United’s
3-2 win against Arsenal,
his most in any league
game this seasonRAHEEM STERLING
I couldn’t stop the
negative thoughts
in my head
The football icon opens up
In the Magazinethe ball or if the other team is in posses-
sion. We are conceding an average of
two goals per game and this is too
much.”
Video analysis will play a big role in
Rangnick’s plan.
“It’s about video footage, showing
them the right situations, telling them
what they could do better to keep the
team away from their own box,” he
said.
“You need not only to train the
bodies, but also the brains.”
Rangnick warned not to expect an
immediate transformation with five
games in 14 days. He will have only one
full training session before tomorrow’s
match against Crystal Palace.
“Obviously it’s not easy, I cannot do
that in one or two training sessions, not
even in one or two weeks,” he said.
“I cannot do too much in Saturday’s
session because I need to make sure
that they have enough fuel in the tanks.”the times | Saturday December 4 2021 1GS 3
Football Sport
Newcastle United have made the sign-
ing of Jesse Lingard their priority in the
January transfer window and are pre-
pared to offer a deal that will make him
the highest earner in the club’s history.
Lingard’s contract at Manchester
United is due to expire next summer
and Newcastle want to kickstart their
season and usher in a new era at the
club. Talks have already taken place
with Lingard’s advisers and he has been
offered a 4½-year deal significantly in
excess of the £100,000-a-week salary of
the club’s present top earner, Miguel
Almirón. Newcastle are ready to offer a
substantial transfer fee for the England
international, despite the short amount
of time left on his contract. United risk
losing the 28-year-old for nothing if
they do not sell him in January.
Lingard has struggled again for starts
at Old Trafford this season and con-
tract talks about an extension broke
down in November. West Ham United,
where the England forward scored nine
goals in 16 games during a loan spell in
the second half of last season, are also
showing renewed interest.
Newcastle are six points adrift of
safety at the foot of the Premier League
table and have not won a game this
season, a big problem as they look to
invest the wealth from being 80 per
cent owned by Saudi Arabia’s public
investment fund. The form has also
concerned Lingard, who is eager to play
regularly to push for a place in Gareth
Southgate’s England squad.
Eddie Howe, the Newcastle head
coach, has remained coy on the subject
of movement in the transfer window,
aware that the side will have had to
show some form before then to tempt
high-profile signings.
“Processes are happening above me
to prepare for January,” he said. “My
immediate focus with the number of
games we have is the team and the
players we have and trying to maximise
their ability. Everyone is doing their
jobs behind the scenes but I’m focusing
on the team at this current time.”
Howe did pinpoint Joelinton, New-
castle’s record signing for £40 million in
the summer of 2019, as being one of the
key players if the club are to survive this
season. The Brazilian has scored only
seven times in the Premier League
from 63 starts, but his new manager
believes he is already flourishing in a
deeper role. “I think there is more to
come, he can continue to improve. He’ll
be a huge player for us,” Howe said.Lingard tops
Newcastle’s
list of targets
Martin HardySir Alex enjoyed the
wine in his office more
than me (after United
easily beat Schalke)You could create four or
five top line-ups from
the United players of
the past 50 yearsIn an ideal world we’ll
be challenging for titles
(by the time his contract
expires in 2024)I met Sancho when he
was 17. He chose
Dortmund, which was
not a wrong stepMATTHEW PETERS/MANCHESTER UNITED/GETTY IMAGES