Ralf Rangnick’s training has apparently perplexed certain United players, who are perplexed as to why his assistant Chris Armas leads the majority of the sessions.
Rangnick’s hiring, which came after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November, has had little impact, with the Red Devils remaining in poor form.
According to reports, the problems are getting worse, and some players are irritated by the ‘old-fashioned’ character of the sessions. According to the article, certain members of the Red Devils’ squad are baffled by Rangnick’s decision to operate behind his deputy Armas on the training ground.
As a result, the 49-year-old American coach has been compared to Ted Lasso, the protagonist in the Apple TV series in which an American college football coach is appointed to lead a Premier League team despite only having expertise with American football. According to the article, several players are underwhelmed by the emphasis on daily organizational and shape work rather than drills to develop skills.
‘The way the team has progressed the last couple of weeks is apparent,’ Rangnick said when asked about his Friday training sessions.
‘The training we’re conducting includes the crucial training games, 11 v 11 games, and rondos to develop fluidity’.
‘Nothing to be honest,’ Rangnick remarked when questioned about his No. 2’s resemblance to Lasso. I’ve never read a newspaper and am unaware of such items.’
Manchester United’s under-performing stars failed to deliver yet again this week, drawing 1-1 with Burnley at Turf Moor.
Rangnick’s side are just one point behind fourth-placed West Ham and face Southampton in Premier League action this Saturday.
Despite their problems, Rio Ferdinand, a former United defender, has backed his old club to win the race for fourth place. ‘There’s always hope,’ says the narrator (for United). There is no one in the race for the top four who stands out as the most consistent candidate, capable of stringing together five wins or going ten games without losing. He told BT Sport, ‘It’s up for grabs.
‘No one, including Arsenal, West Ham, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur, can claim to have consistently good performances and outcomes to lay a claim. “I don’t know what they’re going to do, but I don’t know what we’re going to do either,” they all say to each other.
‘I believe Man United will succeed. They’ll score enough goals to win the necessary number of games to keep them in the top four… but I’m not optimistic.
‘It was a Jekyll and Hyde performance against Burnley. They appeared to be a completely different team in the second half.’