In their rout of Manchester United yesterday, Liverpool won possession 72%-28%, shots 14-2 and shots on goal 5-0. The expansive gulf between the two rivals has never been this clear, and never been this wide. With that in mind, a badly needed overhaul to United is coming, and interim manager Ralf Rangnick made that clear in his post match press conference. The German said that as many as 10 new players could be coming in.
New incoming manager Erik ten Hag has his work cut out for him, and that’s an understatement to say the least. (We looked at who could leave and who could stay in the links below)
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“They have better players than we have, and this was really reflected by the result today,” said of the Liverpool side that just thrashed his team.
“There will be a rebuild for sure, that was obvious in the first three or four weeks for me. For us, it is extremely embarrassing. We just have to admit they are better than us. It is embarrassing, it is disappointing, maybe even humiliating,” Rangnick said.
“Especially the first half we were just not up to it.
“Against a team like this if you want to have a chance you have to cause them problems and make use of those few counter-attacking moments ourselves and we couldn’t, and that’s why we lost 4-0.”
Big changes are coming to United, and boy are they long overdue. A multitude of players look disinterested, and many of them should have been moved on years ago.
“If you analyse the team, it needs a rebuild,” the German continued.
“There are six, eight maybe 10 new players and before you sign them you need to be aware what kind of football does the new manager want to play and then fit into that kind of profile.”
You can start with Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, but that’s just scratching the surface on the total overhaul that’s required.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.