The appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager is one of the most progressive steps that Manchester United have taken in recent years. Not only will the influential German manage the team for the second half of the season, but he will also take up a two-year consultancy role to help the Red Devils get back to where the fans believe they deserve to be.
United’s fortunes have been mixed so far this season, as they have gone into many of the big games as underdogs on the soccer lines and Ralf would certainly like to change that among other things. However, what areas will be most pressing for the German in the short term?
Find An Identity
One of the main issues fans had with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm was the fact that the club had no clear identity. One week they would be a pressing team, while the following week United would look to play a possession-based game.
However, under Rangnick, there will be no question regarding the identity that Manchester United will adopt. The German manager is the godfather of Gegenpressing, a style of play most famously adopted by Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
Pressing from the front and winning the ball high on the pitch will be the aim for United, and with the pacey players in the forward line, it should be a straightforward change in style. However, where Cristiano Ronaldo fits into this new system is one of the big areas that the German needs to address.
Fixing The Defense
United’s leaky defence seemed to have been resolved following the arrival of Raphael Varane in the summer. But injury problems for the French World Cup winner has enabled Victor Lindelof to renew his partnership with Harry Maguire.
However, Lindelof isn’t the problem this season. Maguire seems to have forgotten how to defend, rather play football altogether. The amount of errors committed by the former Leicester man is enormous and some of those alone are the reason for United’s current demise. There’s no question about it, United will need to address the number of goals that they are conceding this season if they are to even get close to winning a trophy.
The Red Devils have managed to keep just two clean sheets in the Premier League this term, and have conceded 22 goals, which is the second-worst defensive record in the top half of the league table. Rangnick is likely to come in and address this situation as a priority to ensure that the club can build on a solid foundation moving forward.
The System
There is no denying that United have an excellent squad on paper. However, fitting the players into a system that works did prove troublesome for Solskjaer, who eventually opted to play Paul Pogba out wide just to get all the players in.
Rangnick is unlikely to settle for round holes in square pegs, which means players will be playing in their actual positions, and competition will be at an all-time high. The first decision that must be taken is the formation that United will play.
Ralf often played, throughout his Leipzig coaching career, in a 4-2-2-2 formation. That means fans may finally see Mason Greenwood given an extended run in the team as a centre-forward alongside Ronaldo. However, where Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho fit in is the biggest dilemma.
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Sancho’s current run of form and his strong running style will see him likely take the wide-right position, while Rashford and Fernandes will be forced to battle it out for the spot on the left flank. Donny van de Beek will be boosted by the arrival of Rangnick and could fit into one of the two midfield roles. The other could be taken by one of Pogba, Fred or Scott McTominay.
However, from the evidence that we have seen at former clubs, Rangnick will not be afraid to drop under-performing stars and give chances to other players, which means all United first-team stars will need to be at their peak levels of performance.
