When Manchester United's starting line-up to face West Ham United at Old Trafford was confirmed at 2pm on Saturday afternoon, it was probably the side that most United supporters had expected.
Ralf Rangnick, no doubt fuelled with confidence and belief after watching his side beat Brentford 3-1 less than 72 hours earlier, made just one change, drafting club captain Harry Maguire back into the fold at the expense of the absent Victor Lindelof, who was the victim of a break-in at his home whilst he and his team-mates secured their first Premier League win of 2022 on Wednesday evening.
It was a refreshing change and it gave a clear indication that Rangnick was pleased with what he had seen, particularly in the second half, in west London against the Bees, even if they had been forced to ride a few waves of pressure in the first half.
Had Lindelof not been the victim of such a distressing ordeal, it would have been as you were for United, and rightfully so, with the Swede having taken advantage of Maguire's recent injury, stopping the England international from automatically regaining his place.
But whilst Maguire must be credited for his performance on his return to the starting line-up against West Ham, with the United centre-back producing a much-improved showing alongside Raphael Varane, you also have to credit Rangnick for making decisions that his predecessor, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, was reluctant to.
Following the 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool in October, for example, Maguire should have been dropped for being guilty of producing such a forgettable and disappointing performance. Instead, he kept his place in the side for the next four Premier League matches, even though Solskjaer had other options to choose from. Yes, he may be the club's captain, but his performances during the latter stages of Solskjaer's rein did not warrant him earning an automatic start just because he dons the armband.
Other figures, too, were guilty of under-performing during the latter stages of Solskjaer's tenure, such as Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred, who has improved in recent weeks, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford. However, they still continued to be selected, even though the likes of Diogo Dalot, Jesse Lingard and Donny van de Beek were chomping at the bit to impose themselves and try and give United's supporters and Solskjaer the boosts they were in need of.
Although Rangnick's premiership, albeit after just ten games, has been far from dazzling and glittering with excitement, despite him having won six and lost just once so far, results have improved and he has shown that he is prepared to make the difficult decisions Solskjaer couldn't, in the sense that Maguire and Rashford, although they contributed to the win over West Ham, have been made to wait for opportunities, with Anthony Elanga having been preferred to Rashford from the start when the latter has been available in each of the last two Premier League fixtures.
Furthermore, Rashford, following his drab showing in the FA Cup third-round win over Aston Villa earlier this month, has not started since, meaning that Rangnick is not prepared to carry any player despite their status symbol at the club and being a big-name star.
Instead, he is willing to open up the floor to other players who have not featured as regularly, such as Dalot and Elanga, to stake their claims for regular starting berths, which force the likes of Rashford, for instance, to step up and deliver, something he has done with two goals in his last two games.
Whilst Van de Beek and Lingard have not been so lucky to benefit from Rangnick's philosophy of nobody having the automatic right to start a game, the German's shift in approach has definitely worked, just in the sense that it is a wake-up call to anyone not performing to their true capabilities.
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