Ralf Rangnick was thrilled to see Manchester United get all three points late on against West Ham on Saturday and lauded his defence, but he feels the team need to improve in possession.
United appeared to be heading for a goalless draw until Marcus Rashford tapped in Edinson Cavani’s superb cross in the 93rd minute to secure a 1-0 victory.
The Red devils have now moved up to fourth place in the Premier League, leapfrogging West Ham in the process.
While Rashford will grab the headlines, it was the club’s defenders who impressed Rangnick, though the German was not totally pleased by his side’s work with the ball and feels that is the next step to improve.
Asked if that was the most controlled display of his reign so far, Rangnick told MUTV after the game: ‘Well defensively I would say yes, because from normal play we didn’t allow them too many chances.
‘And as I said, it was not easy against them, they are a very physical team.
‘But I am still not quite happy with the way that we play in possession of the ball, so this will have to be the next steps in the next couple of weeks that we also find better solutions in possession of the ball.’
Rangnick also felt his team could have showed more cutting edge, telling BBC’s Match of the Day: ‘We didn’t always find the best solutions in the final third.
‘In the last 20 minutes we had too many shots on goal when there was no realistic chance to score. We needed to be a bit more patient, but in the end it was about taking all three points.’
Expanding on his defence, Rangnick continued: ‘As I said, we didn’t allow them [many chances], I can only remember one good chance they had after the corner kick five minutes from time.
‘But from normal play, from normal build-up, I don’t remember any situations. We had I think two or three good ones, especially with Fred, the header from Cristiano in the first half. But it was a very competitive and very disciplined game.’
Rangnick added: ‘Defensively our best performance of the last eight weeks. Our counter-pressing, trying to win balls back, physicality was outstanding.’
