Manchester United once again failed to gather all three points from a winning position as they were held by Southampton at Old Trafford.
Ralf Rangnick’s men could only draw 1-1 with their opponents and some fans vented their frustrations at the manager.
#MUFC have averaged fewer goals per game under Ralf Rangnick than they have under any other manager in Premier League history (1.4 – 14 goals in 10 games).
— Shamoon Hafez (@ShamoonHafez) February 12, 2022
The tweet above shows that United’s goals have dried up under Rangnick but it would be too easy to blame him for that reason.
When the German boss first arrived, he made it a clear point that the team’s defensive woes had to stop and had to be addressed first.
Unfortunately in doing so, he’s found himself with an attack that is blunt and failing to show any sign of sharpness in front of goal.
United are spoilt with attacking options but have failed to score as many goals as they or Rangnick deserved.
Man Utd (2.53) 1-1 (0.71) Southampton
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) February 12, 2022
As evidenced by the stat above, United’s 2.53xG was superior to Southampton’s 0.71xG.
A manager’s job is to create an environment for his players to win the match.
Based on the aforementioned stat, Rangnick is doing that and is being let down by his players.
Whether the final piece of the jigsaw will fall into place or not remains to be seen but there naturally are concerns that United’s luck won’t just change.
After all, how long can the Red Devils underperform their xG before it all evens out?
The hope is that the tide will turn soon and once the players find their shooting boots again they’ll climb up the table fast.