Rangnick Disappointed With Manchester United's Performance When He Was Held To A Draw With Atletico

Ralf Rangnick (Twitter.com/@ManUtd)

JAKARTA - Manchester United (MU) was held to a 1-1 draw by Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the 2021/2022 Champions League last 16 on Thursday morning. Red Devils coach Ralf Rangnick said he was disappointed with the poor performance of his team.

Not only that, Rangnick even couldn't believe his players performed without confidence and aggressiveness when they had the ball. Especially during the first half.

In the match at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, the hosts managed to score first. Atletico's 1-0 lead was secured by Joao Felix's stunning header after just seven minutes.

After falling behind through a quick goal, the Red Devils needed quite a long time to catch up with the hosts' goals. Rangnick's team could only equalize before the game was over.

Efforts to break the long deadlock occurred after Anthony Elanga received a sweet pass from Bruno Fernandes and led it towards the Atletico goal.

“That's why we're really struggling. In the second half, we were better. We had more possession in important areas,'' explained Rangnick, quoted from the official UEFA website.

"If we had played ten more minutes, we might have won it. However, I am very disappointed with it. Performance in the first half, we were too worried about the ball," continued the coach.

Regarding conceding goals early in the game, according to Rangnick, it was a difficult moment against Atletico. Apart from the fact that the hosts have a strong defense, the team is also less aggressive and has to appear more confident.

"The way we scored, the goal was exactly that. This is how we have to play against them," he explained.

Rangnick does not know for sure whether the substitution can save his team. But his choice to include Anthony Elanga in the second half, was again able to provide goals.

Just like the previous match against Leeds United, Jesse Lingard who entered in the second half also gave a little aggressiveness upfront.

Rangnick said Elanga played like a dream come true. He said it was fun watching him play. Even the German coach hopes that several other players will set an example.

"Not because he's doing everything right, but because he's enjoying himself on the pitch," Rangnick said