News coming out that some of the English core (Maguire & Rashford were named) are not happy with the appointment of Ten Hag and they preferred Poch. No contract extensions to be offered until Ten Hag speaks to these players and decides.

Here's Maguire's reaction to Ronaldo's winning freekick goal.

Here we go. ETH.

Some of the English players looked half hearted in celebration for what was a late winning goal as well.
The dressing room split looks big and I guess Ronaldo's the only player big enough to be able to come in and stand up to the cliques. I can see in the summer either Ronaldo goes or some of the English groupies go.

Not too sussed about it. I think Haaland is vastly overrated for what he is. Him being Raiola's client means it is a lot of PR spin.
As a forward he's good but not as good as he is marketed to be. Any forward worth his salt is going to have a good time at City. Ronaldo would have 40 goals this season if he went to City.

Right now, it doesn't matter who our rivals buy. We won't be challenging them next season anyway.
Our fight is internally with ourselves and our own deadwood first.

Well, I guess we can look forward to starting alively discussion on who is coming in.

A proper thrashing with the customary Maguire gifts for the third and fourth goal.

Liverpool did drop the intensity second half. Felt both goals in the second half were literally gifts by Maguire.

Yes. Ooh boy, hang on to your hats.

The camera went to Rangnick after the third goal and he was furious. Maguire not even bothering to get close to Mane and jogging.
Maguire probably trying to clip some long passes for his Twitter account by trying the pass which resulted in the fourth goal.

The loss is good. It further exposes the players for what they are and highlights the hole that we are in to the Board.
Look at the bigger picture.

It allows Rangnick to set the importance of the rebuild and back Ten Hag to get the players he wants.
Most importantly, the backing to throw players that are not needed out.

See what Rangnick has been doing post match in the press conferences. He is setting up the problem statement for the Board.
The match is not important for what it is. Using the match to get traction for our summer strategy is.

Maguire using his influence in media, ex-players and in the dressing room to cement his place as an untouchable in the squad.
Rangnick now dismantling that status by letting him play and exposing him until he no longer as influence and his media friends no longer want to back him so the captaincy and be taken off and maybe Maguire offloaded.

So by making everyone sick of Maguire, it paves the way for a rebuild.

I, for one, would like to nominate Eddie Howe for manager of the season.
The results Newcastle have put on the board since he joined is nothing short of remarkable.

The secret sauce to ETH is if he gets the support from the club at director level. ETH is a tracksuit coach who wants to be involved in training and not in negotitions with agents, etc. That is why DOF support is critical.
This is where Rangnick is coming in. Listen to his press conferences detailing everything wrong at United. He's opening the door to allow ETH to make the changes which he wants.

For reference, I'm dropping a clip of the post match conference after Liverpool. Listen to it. He's setting the stage for ETH.

Not forgetting the Board blocked any incomings as well in Jan.
We need 10 players because....TEN Hag. Ten is the way to go.

If you don't run, you reduce the risk of getting injured.
#elite

Rashford also had a subtle change in the positions he was used in.

During Mou's time, he was used in a counter attacking inside forward position. His pace and dribbling excelled here on the counter with the forwards disrupting the ceenterbacks to create space for Rashford. He did not need to rely too much on decision-making.

Under Ole, somehow he was led to believe that Rashford was a number 9 and could play as such. Against most teams sitting deep, Rashford simply had no space and didn't possess the striker positioning that Greenwood seems to have. So he flounders now between a weird number 9/10 role. Check out his recent interviews, Rashford views himself as a number 9 which is not a position he excels in yet.

We judge managers when they are put in a position to be judged. Rangnick is not put in a position to be judged because he's not been given the tools as a manager. The club is trying to get to the end of the season.
That is why I don't pass judgement on RR personally.

- Rangnick is playing with a weaker set of players than Ole. Club allowed some of them to go in Dec like Martial and Donny without replacing them. Squad is diluted.
- Rangnick was not allowed to recruit a single player by the club in Jan despite players leaving and the team needing a CDM.
- Rangnick was announced as only a temp manager, giving the players the impression he carried no authority.
- Players can go on leave without informing Rangnick because they can get Murtough's approval directly.
- Rangnick tried to institute a gegenpressing 4-2-2-2 but the lack of workrate from certain players means it did not work. Rangnick had to adjust to the players instead because players refused to follow instructions.
- For the Liverpool game, United were missing our best defender Varane. Missing McTominay and Fred in midfield which Matic for the first time this season had to play 90 minutes. And missing our two best forwards in Ronaldo and Cavani. Pogba didn't want to be part of the game after 5 minutes and left.

The loss to Liverpool is expected.
This is a hole dug by the players, and compounded by the decision of the club to abandon the season by not getting reinforcements in Jan. Those to me are the two main factors. Rangnick does not feature.

To illustrate the difference between how United is run and other clubs, let me use the case study below.

This team is a former PL winner who in recent years has fallen into decline. It is years since their last PL win and now are left with trying to hang with the big boys. In the latest rebuild, they have run into problems with certain players being out of sync with the manager. One of whom is the influential captain of the club and one of the highest paid members of the squad. He had cost the club a club record transfer fee. The dressing room is divided and on the pitch performance suffered. All eyes fell on the manager and the club on how the situation is handled.

This club is Arsenal.

Arteta basically froze Auba out of the squad until he could toe the line set by the manager. When this did not improve, the captaincy was taken off him. It ended when Arsenal made a decision to let Auba go on a free to Barcelona mid-season despite him being a club transfer fee record. Look at where Arsenal are today and their performances after Auba left. This is what it looks like when the club backs the manager. This is the club sending a message that the manager is more important to the club than any player.


So back to Manchester United. Does Manchester United's decisions reflect the manager being the top guy at the club, or does the club place the players above the manager?
Question is rhetorical.

Auba was a string of disciplinary issues. I think there was also a couple of team meetings where he was late and left out as it was sending the wrong message. When your captain can get away with things like that, it lowers the standard of expectation to others. Standards. Now there is a familiar word to United fans.

Arsenal bit the bullet and now both parties are much happier. Never doubted Auba's talent.

Can see signs of Rangnick trying to do the same at United now. Him naming players and managing exits before Ten Hag arrives.

I actually haven't listened to Gary's podcast not his commentary as he lost credibility with me as a pundit with his self admitted bias when Ole was there.
I prefer Simon Jordan. Go give it a listen.

For you tactically inclined fans wanting to dissect the Liverpool game and those wondering on Rangnick's involvement, here's the latest by Tifo which I found interesting.
They used the recent Liverpool game for this.

Wonder if there are players who used to bully Donny.

"Touch and go football is not United DNA."

Now Donny's daddy is coming. If Donny still gets stuck on the bench I don't know what to say.