Man United somehow held on to a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Old Trafford. This has all but ended their Champions League hopes for next season and incoming manager Erik Ten Hag will have to rebuild from scratch. Ralf Rangnick wants to focus more on recruitment with his new consultancy role and get the right players.

Chelsea began the game with a high tempo and intent and could have finished the game in the first half. Kai Havertz had a great chance, but an even better save by David de Gea kept the scoreline blank. In the second half, Marcus Alonso found the back of the net for the visitors in the 60th minute with a good volley.

However, Cristiano Ronaldo equalised for the hosts two minutes later. Ronaldo pounced on a delightful pass from Nemanja Matic into the box, sending a powerful strike into the roof of the net for his 17th Premier League goal this season. Man United were getting outplayed even after the goal, with Chelsea pressing for a winner but lacking that finishing touch. Reece James hit the post once towards the end of the game.

It is important to note that the Red Devils are struggling in all areas of the pitch at the moment. Rangnick has mentioned the need to replace 10-11 players in this summer transfer window. This was not the case at the start of the season. The return of Ronaldo and marquee signings of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane were made to ensure a chance to fight for the Premier League title.

Four months later, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked after a disastrous loss to Watford. Even interim manager Ralf Rangnick is struggling to implement his philosophy into the squad. With nothing much to look forward to this season in terms of trophies and qualifications, it would be an ideal opportunity to resolve the issues.

The Red Devils are five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal and two points behind fifth-placed Tottenham. They only have three more Premier League games to play and securing a Champions League spot is near to impossible. The club needs to be analysed from top to bottom to see the problems plaguing the squad. Let us see the three crucial things we learnt from the Man United vs Chelsea game:

1. Manchester United’s Defensive Issues Need To Be Solved

United have tried 5-6 different defensive pairings this season for the centre-back position. The one used on Thursday was Varane and Lindelof, who were lucky to not concede more due to poor finishing from Chelsea attackers. The likes of Dalot and Telles also don’t seem to offer a lot defensively.

There was excitement among the United fans when it was announced that four-time UCL winner Raphael Varane would be joining Manchester United to provide support to Maguire and Lindelof. But the defensive issues are yet to be resolved with the team shipping in 49 goals so far, a few more than relegation candidates, Burnley(45).

Shaw and Maguire seem to be suffering from ‘post-defeat syndrome’ after losing the finals in both Europa League and the Euro 2020. Both of these players had an incredible 2020-21 season under Ole. The Europa League loss shattered the confidence of the whole squad in general. Maguire seems to have lost control of the dressing room and his captaincy is being criticised.

With a plethora of experienced players available in the squad, fans are complaining about Maguire not doing an impactful job and marshalling the defence properly. They want the armband transferred to a strong and passionate leader like Ronaldo or Bruno Fernandes.

Without De Gea’s last-ditch saves and Ronaldo’s goals, United could have been hanging in the mid-table positions. The revival of De Gea is a reason to celebrate but the fact that he has had to make so many crucial saves is an insult to the defence. If Maguire is stripped of his captaincy and allowed to just concentrate on his centre-back role, we might see a revival. Otherwise, United will have to look at summer signings like Jurrien Timber, Pau Torres or Jules Kounde to partner with Raphael Varane.

2. Manchester United Desperately Need A Defensive Midfielder

The United board decided against signing a defensive midfielder in January despite knowing the fact that Nemanja Matic and Pogba would certainly leave the club at the end of this season. On far too many occasions, Man United stood open in the midfield area against Chelsea, even with the presence of McTominay and Matic.

This helped the opposition’s attacking midfielders to play defence-splitting passes during counter-attacks for the strikers to capitalise upon. Certainly, their Premier League title hopes had ended early, but now it seems like they can’t even beat a top-four team without a defensive midfielder.

Matic has brought some stability into the side whenever he has started. At his age, the Serbian can’t be expected to start regularly and doesn’t have the same influence in big games. The influence of N’Golo Kante in Chelsea’s big games this season is visible and all the more reason for the Red Devils to find a similar player.

The likes of Declan Rice, Ruben Neves, Amadou Haidara, Boubacar Kamara, Kalvin Philips, Aurelien Tchouameni and Frenkie de Jong have all been linked with United. Without Champions League football next season, it will be difficult to buy most of the shortlisted players without paying a huge fee. Hence, they will have to look at a shrewd signing like Kalvin Philips. United certainly need to find a physical defensive midfielder with the ability to carry out high energy pressing.

3. Bruno Fernandes Needs His Form Back

Manchester United’s talisman Bruno Fernandes seems to be going through a rough patch this season. He won United’s Player of the Year Award last season with 45 goal contributions in 58 appearances across all competitions. He even signed a new contract this month, which will keep him at Old Trafford till 2026.

Unfortunately, the bitter truth is the Man United midfield maestro has given dreadful performances this season, offering very little in attacks against Chelsea. He seems to be frustrated and involves himself in unnecessary arguments with opposition players. He has affected only 23 goal contributions so far this term and the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo might have pushed back his confidence.

This problem was already noticeable in the Portuguese national team where Bruno had failed to cement a starting spot. He has performed better when the play revolves around him. Fernandes certainly demonstrates good traits of leadership and is passionate about the team. Since the form is temporary, we hope to see his classy performances take centre stage at Old Trafford soon.

Read More:

• Cristiano Ronaldo’s Brilliant Equaliser Salvages a Point for the Red Devils | How United Players Fared Against Chelsea
• Kalvin Philips: The Solution to United’s Midfield Woes | Man United Working on a Deal to Sign Phillips in the Summer.
• United in Pole Position to Sign £20m Rated Young Premier League Full-Back | Good Alternative for Wan-Bissaka?

This was Rangnick’s assessment of his team after the Man United vs Chelsea game:

“We have our problems defending and getting a hold of the ball, winning the ball. We are just not compact, aggressive enough, and physical enough in some of those moments. And this especially shows up against top teams like Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.”

On paper, Manchester United seem to have a strong squad with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, Edinson Cavani, Marcus Rashford, Raphael Varane, Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba and David de Gea. Yet the side continues to struggle because of poor recruitment by the board. They seem to make signings in positions which do not require immediate improvement while ignoring the bigger problems in defence and midfield.

The signings are usually made one transfer window later from when the manager requests the board. Subsequently, a new problem area turns up and the cycle continues. It is expected that in the coming summer transfer window, most of the club’s mess and wage bill will be cleared. A fresh and new start with a proven manager, a compact midfield, a passionate leader, and a highly motivated team with a hunger for success would be just how the Red Devils can get redemption.

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