Ralf Rangnick may have been proven wrong about what Manchester United need

Ralf Rangnick has made no secret of his greatest demand for Manchester United in his short time as interim manager.

In his first press conference as United manager back in December, he sat in the press room in the Bobby Charlton Stand and kept returning to the idea of 'control'. In the space of half an hour he talked about that concept and United’s failure to embrace it on at least half-a-dozen occasions.

In the three months that have followed, Rangnick’s success has often been judged on whether United have managed to find that control, but as he returned to that press room on Saturday for the first time since his introductory press conference, it was to toast a victory once again built on chaos.

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There have been times under Rangnick where United have managed to find that control of games that the German craves, notably in the 1-0 wins against Crystal Palace and West Ham and the 0-0 draw with Watford. But those aren’t entirely convincing results. United have sought control against mediocre opposition and have sometimes found it, but they’ve also failed to beat Newcastle, Wolves, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, Burnley, Southampton and Watford.

While there’s clearly a happy medium to be sought between control and chaos, United haven’t really found it. Manchester City and Liverpool might have control as well as end product, but when Rangnick’s team have attempted to command games they have often looked fairly dull and uninspiring in doing so, struggling to either create chances or take them, resulting in tight games against opposition they should be making shorter work of.

When games have been hectic United have often thrived. The win on Saturday