Last November, Man Utd’s Communications Department announced Ralf Rangnick’s appointment as interim manager. A lot of excitement from fans followed the announcement, and it was quite hyped by the club’s director, John Murtough. Murtough said that Rangnick was one of the greatest “innovators of European football”. Can we already measure the results five months later?
The Man and the Task
Ralf Rangnick is a 63-year-old German manager with a successful history in clubs like Schalke, Hoffenheim, and RB Leipzig. He is considered by many as the man who reinvented German football. He signed with the red side of Manchester as an “interim manager”, which is an advisory role. John Murtough has allegedly met the German manager during the 2018-19 season, right after being appointed the club director.
Murtough had all the good reasons for keeping an eye on Rangnick. His ideas on strategy, integration and player development ushered in a new era in German football. He took Hoffenheim, an unimportant third-tier club, to the Bundesliga title challenge. He was also behind Stuttgart’s title in the 2006-7 season and took RB Leipzig to the Champions League. So, he seemed the right choice to bring Man Utd to its old days of glory.
Initially, Rangnick signed a six-month contract with the club until May. Although Murtough hopes he’ll stay for two more years after the end of this contract, the matter is still pending on work visa issues.
Five Months Later
Five months under Rangnick’s leadership has already shown some impressive results.
In fact, if the Premier League had started on the first day of Rangnick in the office, Man Utd would now be third on the table. During the same period, the team has scored more points than Chelsea, now in the third position, and Tottenham Spurs, in the fourth position. Follow the latest results on the best platform for online sports betting in Tanzania.
Nevertheless, the club is still far from the top. For comparison purposes, Man City has scored 31 points, while the Red Devils scored only 19 in the same period. For this reason, not everybody is happy about his results. Man Utd now holds the fifth position. If it’s true that it’s still far away from the top, it’s also true it’s coming from a clear upward trend. Indeed, the Red Devils have only lost once in ten games with Rangnick.
Clouds on the Horizon
A stream of lacklustre results and a defeat against Middlesborough in the FA have unsettled fans. After all, Solskjaer’s example is still too fresh: a flashy start can also quickly descend into crushing defeats. Will it be Rangnick’s case? If so, it would be quite surprising, given the German’s record for lifting clubs from rock bottom.Bringing Man Utd back to the top shouldn’t be nearly as difficult as lifting an obscure, third-tier German team. It’s crucial to remember that he’s only in a temporary advisory role and has had little time to reorganise the team.
The Future
After a period of uncertainty, Rangnick was confirmed in his new role, now a permanent position. Before the club and Rangnick came clear to the public on the issue, Rangnick’s permanence was hanging on a letter of intent, with no contracts signed. It was also believed that he had lost his influence when he was refused to bring more coaches to the team back in December.After the end of this season, Rangnick will become an advisor, and the club is already looking for managers. Current talks point to Erik Ten Hag (Ajax) for the task, although nothing has been confirmed yet. Rangnick expects to create a team of managers, which he’ll manage as he did with his players back in Germany. He has revealed that the club is holding talks with the best managers and coaches in Europe.
However, there are also short-term goals to meet. There are only a few games until the end of the season, and every result is crucial. The club is only three points behind the fourth position. Still, any slip could make it fall two positions, maybe more. Man Utd is technically even with Arsenal and only two points behind West Ham.
However, there are also short-term goals to meet. There are only a few games until the end of the season, and every result is crucial. The club is only three points behind the fourth position. Still, any slip could make it fall two positions, maybe more. Man Utd is technically even with Arsenal and only two points behind West Ham.
Final Thoughts
Even if the last few results are less than inspiring, the Red Devils’ fans have plenty of reasons for being optimistic. Rangnick is far from the undercooked boss some detractors want to make him look like. He has recovered teams in much more adverse situations, and overall results since his arrival point to a better future indeed.
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