Manchester United lose against Wolves as stop-start form continues under Ralf Rangnick

Manchester United finds itself in a really peculiar situation after the club lost its first match against Wolves at Old Trafford in over 40 years. After Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's departure and appointment of Ralf Rangnick, immense excitement was visible around the club. One of the main reasons for it was the "German" connection. The likes of Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel have been considerably successful with their respective clubs and Ralf Rangnick being from the same school of thought, lifted the spirit in and around United. This is not the first time that a tried and tested pattern is being followed by Premier League clubs to reach the desired levels of success. In the '90s and especially after the arrival of Arsene Wenger along with the French talent he bought, Liverpool also appointed Frenchman Gerard Houllier as their manager on a similar pattern. Although his stint wasn't as successful as Arsene's but he too managed to win a decent amount of silverware with Liverpool and more or less created a base for the 2005 UEFA Champions League-winning Reds' side.

Manchester United's stop-start form doesn't seem to be changing under Ralf Rangnick as well. Two hard-fought one-goal victories against Norwich and Crystal Palace in addition to a good display of 3-1 against struggling Burnley side is all that Manchester United can boast about in the Premier League since Rangnick took over. A 1-1 draw against Young Boys and a 0-2 win against Villareal is a decent start in the UEFA Champions League for the German manager since the team finished the group at the top. A draw against relegation-battling Newcastle United and defeat against Wolves on Monday shows more about the state of Old Trafford club is in. Manchester United has had many "first losses" at Old Trafford since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. For example, defeat against Newcastle in the Moyes era and Crystal Palace when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was the helm. The loss on Monday was the first time Wolves had defeated United at Old Trafford in over 40 long years. Although from the point of view of the United fans, the club still has Champions League, FA Cup and Top 4 finish to fight for, it's the Premier League battle that they'd love United to be in contention for.

Manchester United's other direct rivals including neighbours Manchester City, fierce enemies Liverpool, Chelsea and to an extent the North London clubs (Arsenal and Tottenham) have at least gotten rid of their managerial woes and are going from strength to strength as the season is progressing. The revival of West Ham under David Moyes and somewhat similar resurgence of Wolves under Bruno Lage is also a threat to United's position on the league table. As far as the UEFA Champions League goes, United will clash against defending La Liga Champions Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16.

Manchester United's upcoming fixtures

Manchester United vs Aston Villa (FA Cup 3rd Round, 11 January 1:25 AM IST)

Aston Villa vs Manchester United (Premier League, 15 January 11:00 PM IST)

Manchester United vs West Ham (Premier League, 22 January, 8:30 PM IST)

Burnley vs Manchester United (Premier League, 9 February, 1:30 AM IST)

Manchester United vs Southampton (Premier League, 12 February, 6:00 PM IST)

Leeds United vs Manchester United (Premier League, 20 February, 7:30 PM IST)

Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United (UEFA Champions League, 24 February, 1:30 AM IST)