Monday evening marked the beginning of 2022's proceedings for Ralf Rangnick and his Manchester United side, with the Red Devils reaching the halfway point of their Premier League campaign. It was posed to be Rangnick's toughest test of his short stint as interim manager so far, with Bruno Lage's Wolves his first meeting with a side inside the top half of the table.
Victory for the visitors would take them within only three points of United, though it was no doubt set to be a challenge for Wolves themselves having missed the last two gameweeks through Covid-related issues. They came into the fixture as the league's second best side defensively, though the second worst side from an attacking standpoint. However, their creative attributes are easy to underestimate.
United were hit by a number of issues in the centre back area. Eric Bailly had not yet travelled to the African Cup of Nations, though missed out through the fatigue-related muscle issue sustained against Burnley. Victor Lindelof "was still positive" for Covid, whilst Rangnick confirmed Harry Maguire sustained a "knock on his chest in the game against Burnley" so missed out.
Hereby, Phil Jones partnered Raphael Varane to make his first appearance in 708 days, spanning back pre-pandemic to January 2020. Speaking about Jones, Rangnick said, "From what I have seen so far - I can only speak from the last four weeks in training - he was extremely professional, even when he wasn't in the squad. We knew since last night our other two centre backs that played against Burnley were out, so for me it was the logical choice.”
Somewhat surprisingly, both Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw maintained their places over Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles. The latter of the starting pair proved a point with his showing against Burnley, though there were many calls for Dalot to return in place of an underwhelming Wan-Bissaka.
It was a no-brainer for Rangnick to restore the partnership of Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay after their efficient showing against Burnley. The attacking four was similarly unchanged, with Mason Greenwood and Jadon Sancho wide of Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo. Consequently, there was no immediate way back into the starting side for Bruno Fernandes - returning from suspension by only making the bench after a messy display against Newcastle.
In the absence of Maguire, it was Ronaldo who captained United for only the second time, decades apart. Rangnick justified the decison by saying, "The question - was is it David or him? They are the players who have been playing for the longest period of time and I wanted a field player as captain, which is why I chose Cristiano.”
It was far from a positive start from United, but there was at least some encouragement for one man. "Always believe in Phil Jones" rang around Old Trafford, with the returning defender making an early headed clearance which was greeted with a colossal cheer. Jones meant business, with a switched-on and solid start in front of a home crowd flooding him with support.
However, Jones' early involvement marked Wolves' early duress, with the visiting contingent managing to make a number of passes in and around the final third. There was some United quality, with a magnificent ball from Greenwood threading Sancho through on the break after a good use of strength to brush off a challenge; the ultimate decision was poor, though, as Sancho opted to shoot rather than slot Ronaldo through on goal. The move was the epitome of United's start, with Rangnick's side very much having to try and launch counter attacks amidst failing to hold possession.
United's inability to retain the ball was leading to a Wolves onslaught, with David de Gea's first test coming as Daniel Podence forced him to get down low at his near post. Varane cleared from the resultant corner, only for possible United transfer target Ruben Neves to unleash a trademark volley from range, forcing an alert De Gea to make a spectacular fingertip save. The Spaniard was a busy, busy man, and that level activity didn't look like it was easing.
Wolves looked really sharp and creatively astute, with United having to prove defensively vigilant. The travelling side dominated possession, ensuring their opposition struggled to push out and engineer attacks. When the Red Devils did get a hold of the ball, they were frantic in possession, thus finding it difficult to create opportunities.
It was growing rare that Rangnick's side did get possession, especially in any promising areas. There was little sign of the German's renowned pressing system, with the dysfunctionality of the shape allowing little control. The 4-2-2-2 setup was easily exploitable, whilst proving easy to defend against.
Again, everything was also so passive. United were tentative to progress, whilst their lack of intent made them seem almost content with sitting deep and allowing Wolves possession. There were a number of attempts from the visitors that seriously threatened United, with lots of set-pieces won too. In fact, Wolves' total number of shots inside the opening 20 minutes matched the amount managed in their previous game against Chelsea, and as many as in their previous four full matches.
Those within Old Trafford had continually little to cheer about, though there were a couple of encouraging moves down the right flank. Wan-Bissaka counteracted doubt that his attacking game is inept, combining well with Greenwood to provide some crosses - teasing yet failing to meet Ronaldo's head.
Overall, the offensive side of things was just too slow - this was especially apparent in transition, where the home side were getting caught out. As against Newcastle the week prior, those on the pitch looked incredibly out of sync with one another on the whole. The showing was riddled with errors, with severe inferiority in terms of tidiness.
Aside from a short dismantlement for a brief phase, Wolves looked entirely comfortable and consistently asserted their authority. From a United standpoint, an almost-detrimental error from Ronaldo epitomised the first half. The striker calamitously misjudged a header back to his goalkeeper after some defensive work, with Raul Jimenez in front of De Gea to intervene. Fortunately for Ronaldo, the opposing forward couldn't react to head goalward, instead knocking the ball into a crossing position. Jimenez was on the receiving end of the delivery, heading wide but offside anyway.
It was a poor decision from Ronaldo, embodying an issue prevalent right through the team. The aforementioned incident wasn't an outlier for United, with Cavani once finding himself on the end of an exceptional ball inside from Shaw at the other end, only to strike wildly from range as opposed to playing Greenwood into space inside the box. Sancho was guilty of a very similar incident earlier on. There was some real individuality within the performance, with an absence of cohesion.
Wolves continued their bombardment to draw the half to a close, with the United defence under masses of pressure as the break neared. The back line coped well under the circumstances, with Varane solid as ever and Jones not putting a foot wrong despite having faced two years on the sidelines, making a number of important interventions. The defence had to be on form, with their opposition the dominant force and displaying superior quality.
Wolves’ 15 first half shots were the most on record in the opening period at Old Trafford from a visiting team in Premier League history. It was also the joint-most attempts managed by an away side in the division so far this season. The 15 shots equated to 15% of Wolves’ total shots throughout the league season to that stage.
It became a certainty, during the first half, that Fernandes is still a crucial asset for United. Rangnick's side were struggling without someone to link the midfield and attack, with neither Cavani or Ronaldo proving willing to drop deep. Hence, the Red Devils proved significantly lacklustre in possession. Nevertheless, there were no halftime alterations.
United could consider themselves fortunate heading into the second half all square, with the opening period wayward. The ball was held better by Rangnick's side immediately after the juncture, though there remained little creativity as the game leaned further towards favouring Fernandes.
Just short of the hour mark, the Portuguese did come on, replacing Greenwood to the dissatisfaction of the crowd. He was one of United's liveliest figures, attempting the most dribbles and taking the most touches inside the Wolves box. Rangnick clearly wasn't as impressed as most, saying post-match, “His effort and performance was not outstanding but at least he was one of the better players today."
It did initially appear that Cavani, ineffective for the majority of the evening, would be withdrawn, only for Greenwood's number to ultimately be shown. Instead of operating centrally, thus, Fernandes found himself pushed wide again. An unsatisfactory facilitation of his qualities again, it must be said.
United remained creatively restricted, with huge gulfs without any opportunities or even efforts, especially on target and threatening. However, Fernandes did gradually become a catalyst for improvement and made things work in the more unnatural, restricted wider position.
The substitute squandered a frankly huge chance, with Matic playing a perfect ball into his feet from an unorthodox wide area, only for the ball to rattle the crossbar from close range. United did actually find themselves with the ball in the back of the net soon after, with Ronaldo heading in from a Fernandes free kick; however, the striker was in a clearly offside position and United were denied their first set-piece goal of the season. The home side were, though, exuding more positivity.
Fernandes was really starting to influence things more and more. Soon after he provided the delivery for the offside goal, Fernandes once again played his compatriot Ronaldo into a promising position. Again, wastefulness was at the forefront as the ultimate effort was dragged wide. Chances were finally starting to flow, and energy started to surge through Old Trafford. Fernandes provided an injection of high tempo after his introduction, with United seeming a completely different animal with him on the pitch.
However, Adama Traore was having a similar effect for Wolves. The Spanish winger's pace proved too much for Matic at one stage, with the Serb committing a tactical foul in a threatening area. Wolves came mightily close from the free kick, with Romain Saiss striking the crossbar. The visitors weren't shying away, fighting back with force as the introduction of Fabio Silva further encapsulated Bruno Lage's attacking intentions.
Things grew strugglesome once more for the hosts, who failed to sustain the level instantaneously in subsequence to Fernandes' introduction. Both Shaw and McTominay saw themselves booked prior to Matic's name being taken for the foul on Traore, with the pair suspended for the next league match - against Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Marcus Rashford's introduction signified a late push from Rangnick, as Sancho found himself withdrawn following another ineffective 75 minutes. Nothing was going Rashford's way after addition, either, with United continuing to regress after their momentary lively phase.
Deservedly, Wolves took the lead with little time remaining. The visitor's superior intent paid off, with the goal epitomising United's major inferiority in such department. Jones produced a strong defensive header, only for Joao Moutinho to find himself unchallenged for the second ball, able to set himself with a pristine first touch and fire past the totally unsighted De Gea.
The away end was in raptures, with the home fans silenced as Wolves finally gained avail for an utter pummelling of United.
Anthony Elanga replaced Wan-Bissaka with just over five minutes to go, but nothing was enough to inject any spark for United. A spectacular late denial of a Fernandes free kick by Jose Sa ensured a rare Old Trafford win for Wolves at the death, their first in Premier League history.
Rangnick didn't hold back post match: "I knew that it was not an easy job. Today's game showed why we are in the position we are in."
Luke Shaw further said, "I didn't feel when I was on the pitch that we were all there together."
"You look at the players we have - we have unbelievable quality. Sometimes quality is not enough."
"We need to bring intensity and more motivation. Inside the dressing room, we know what we want but out on the pitch we need to give 100%. To win these types of games we all need to be 100% committed."
A new year, yet no change. It remains problems galore.
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