Manchester United Boss Credits 2 Stars For Defensive Work In 'Slightly Different' Formation

Manchester United's new boss Ralf Rangnick credited Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes for their defensive work during the side's "slightly different" formation against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Rangnick went with a 4-2-2-2 formation and clinched his first victory as the Red Devils' head coach when his side defeated Crystal Palace 1-0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

Fred, who scored the only goal of the match, found his name on the goal sheet for the second time in the 2021-22 campaign.

Rangnick, who has come in as Manchester United's interim manager after the club sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, heaped praise on Fernandes and Sancho as the duo fit in well in the 4-2-2-2 formation.

“For me it seemed logical to not make many changes after the win against Arsenal. The question was how do we get possession of the ball? We had enough space with Jadon [Sancho] and Bruno [Fernandes] in those number ten positions for our fullbacks to play forwards and ask for the ball on the wings. That was the reason I decided to play a 4-2-2-2. The most demanding positions in that formation are the tens and I think Bruno and Jadon did well in those positions. Defensively they both did well," Rangnick said after his side's 1-0 win over Palace, Man Utd's official website reported.

"Obviously it was about keeping them away from our goal, keeping them consistently under pressure and chasing balls and winning balls. We decided to go for a slightly different formation but only slightly different," added Rangnick.

Having defeated Arsenal 3-2 in their previous fixture, Manchester United have now won two back-to-back games in the Premier League for the first time since the middle of September.

"We played with two strikers, Marcus and Cristiano upfront with Jadon and Bruno on the 10 position and for the rest of the team it was the same position as usual. I just thought it might be better to have control in the center of the pitch with Cristiano having a partner up front and I think it worked out well," Rangnick explained further.

Manchester United's next assignment is a home clash with Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. Subsequently, Rangnick and Co. will head to Carrow Road to take on Norwich City in the league.