Pressing problems a real headache for Ralf Rangnick at Manchester United

Unhappiness with tactics, the manager’s assistant and Cristiano Ronaldo are cited amid unrest and confusion at Old Trafford

Six matches into a stewardship may seem premature for an inquest unless the club is Manchester United and the manager was brought in to administer a quick fix before a permanent No 1 is hired in the close season. Yet when Aston Villa arrive for Monday’s FA Cup third-round tie a long week will have passed since the 1-0 capitulation to Wolves at Old Trafford that greatly increased scrutiny of Ralf Rangnick’s interim tenure.

Such is the reality for the 63-year-old, who arrived on a much-trumpeted ticket of being a coach whose use of a vaunted high press would whip a listing squad into shape. Except the intense closing-down game seen during his opening match – a win over Crystal Palace – has since vanished, causing some to venture that Rangnick’s “godfather of gegenpress” tag may be one of football’s great misnomers.

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