Ralf Rangnick chose to bench Harry Maguire today, with the gaffer giving his thoughts on why he made that choice for the Arsenal game.
Manchester United’s season is now pretty much over. The Red Devils were well-beaten by Arsenal during an entertaining match at the Emirates Stadium.
As we’ve all come to expect, our defence was just as porous as it has been all season. Time and time again, our experienced backline continues to make rookie mistakes. No doubt Ralf Rangnick is infuriated with the way his multi-million-pound defence is playing at present.
The German actually made the bold decision to sit his captain down for this one, with Harry Maguire beginning this game amongst the substitutes. After a traumatic experience for the whole family earlier this week, you can absolutely understand why.
Ahead of the game, Rangnick explained his decision behind benching the key star, and you can absolutely understand why the German made the choice he did.
Check out what the gaffer had to say in full here:
“I had to make a decision between the three of them”, Ralf told MUTV, per ManUtd.com.
“Only two could play and Harry has had a tough week so I decided to give him a rest and play with Rapha Varane and Victor Lindelof.”
Factor in Maguire’s pretty poor form of late and this felt like a fairly straightforward decision for the manager to make. Sometimes it’s better to take an underperforming star away from the spotlight – even if it’s just for a game.
However, United aren’t any better back there without the Englishman. In fact, in the ten games the Reds have played in the league without Maguire, United have won just one of them. They’re zero for six without him this season, too…
I fully understand that he’s been way below par for months now. Heck, he’ll know that better than anyone, but he’s not a bad player and I’ll stand by that fact. No doubt we’ll see an improved Maguire next season under Erik ten Hag because I actually think he fits his managerial style perfectly.
Personally, I’d keep Maguire out of the firing line once again for the Chelsea game this coming Thursday. Purely so his confidence doesn’t get dented even further between now and the end of the campaign.
Was this the right call by Rangnick? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
Be the first to comment