After a week of deliberation, with names for both an interim and permanent role being thrown around, United have finally settled on Lokomotiv Moscow's head of sports and development Ralf Rangnick to guide them forward for the remainder of the season.
The 63 year old German is a connoisseur of football in his native country, regarded a significant modern innovator within the game. Rangnick endured an uneventful playing career, thus resorted to coaching Stuttgart's second team at the age of 25 amidst studying to become a teacher. Since, he has grown renowned for his trademark high energy yet high organisation style of football both in and out of possession, prescribed by many as a tactical mastermind. In the short term, the desire seems to be that of providing a restoration of exciting, entertaining football at Old Trafford.
The management side of things is only one element of his acquisition, though. Rangnick has been brought in by the club as part of a bigger project, with the plan for him to shift to a role of power within the board beyond his six month interim managerial stay. It's a statement from United, who finally seem to be regaining some poise higher up in the hierarchy. Rangnick is set to be a key figurehead to build the club back up off the pitch - something he isn't a stranger to - after stabilising the on-pitch affairs during his coaching stint, both defiite expertise of the German (which I will delve into).
In the not too distant future, he will acquire what has been detailed a 'consultancy' role; recent suggesting of his job post-summer are clearing the ambiguity by suggesting that the role could be that of senior football adviser. Whatever the duty is purported as, it seems almost certain that Rangnick will obtain a large amount of authority when it comes to making decisions - for instance transfers and during the post-season permanent manager search.
In contradiction, there have been recent implications that Rangnick would be willing take on the long term managerial job if he provided enough of an upturn in fortunes and was offered the role. For now, however, it very much seems he is a short term appointment with the long term picture one of a role higher up. Not only is he tasked with steadying the ship for the rest of this season, but he is also charged with transforming United into an elite operation in the coming years. Beyond his contract as manager, there is lots of work that will certainly require his off-field proficiency.
His post-playing journey begun after being released by Ulm at the age of 25, opting to return to his hometown (around 30km North-East of Stuttgart) to take the reins at Viktoria Backnang as player-manager. During his time at the club, he essentially ran the first team - fuelled by his eagerness to transform the side in all aspects. Epitomising his elite determination, he took onus on many roles with relation to affairs on and off the pitch.
In Backnang, he was very much a rookie within the coaching world but always seemed to keep a keen eye on opposition for ideas to implement within his own tactics. A meeting with Dynamo Kyiv saw Rangnick's side outplayed by a pressing system, a demonstration of an approach that the German would promptly adopt and adapt. After that match, he intently studied the press and zonal marking used by the Ukrainians and really made it his own.
Rangnick departed Backnang after two years, acquiring roles at the helm of Stuttgart II, Lippoldsweiler (player-manager) and Korb over the five years that followed. He returned to Stuttgart in 1990 in a higher role as the club's academy manager, guiding their youth team to national success only a year later. Four years after his return to Stuttgart, he resigned and subsequently came close to gaining promotion from the third tier of German football with Reutlingen.
After just over a year with Reutlingen, Rangnick returned to Ulm and gained promotion to the second tier in his second year as the club's manager. His successes at Ulm were widely hailed, with Rangnick earning a position as manager of Stuttgart's first team in the Bundesliga in 1999. Unfortunately, his final stint at Stuttgart wasn't the most harmonious and he was sacked after less than two years. His desire to change things has been too much for some over the course of his career.
He opted to drop back to the second tier in subsequence, guiding Hannover up to the top flight having won the title. However, there was yet another fallout as Rangnick saw himself dismissed after just shy of three years. He had a similarly tumultuous time with those within the hierarchy at Schalke in his next job, departing after just over a year despite having reigned supreme in the League Cup and finishing runner-up in the Bundesliga.
The biggest sign of Rangnick's desire to challenge himself with projects came as he dropped back to the third tier to manage Hoffenheim - a little village team at the time. Having installed his trademark high volume approach, he gained consecutive promotions to reach the Bundesliga. Rangnick was beginning to do things never done before in football, even inventing occupations such as a video analyst (something he wishes to introduce at United). His complex strategies on and off the pitch brought the best out of his Hoffenheim side, but he left for another new challenge after a staggering five year transformation.
He spent a brief spell back at Schalke, winning his first major trophy by way of the German Cup within only six months at the club. That wasn't all, he also guided them to a Champions League semi-final in which they fell foul to Sir Alex Ferguson's United. The spell was only brief, though, with Rangnick simply exhausted after a hectic few years.
After a year out of the game, Rangnick's next project was gargantuan. He took a small Hoffenheim to the Bundesliga after two promotions, but this time he was tasked with taking charge of and essentially building Red Bull's multi-club organisation from nothing. For seven years from 2012, he was tasked as Leipzig's sporting director; he took the same role at sister club Salzburg for the first two years of the project too.
Rangnick returned to management during the 2015/16 season, self-appointing himself at Leipzig to secure promotion up to the Bundesliga. He resigned straight after, resuming his role of sporting director on a fulltime basis to again oversee the exponential development. He did manage the German outfit once more three years later, this time guiding them to a third place league finish and a German Cup final. From there, Julien Nagelsmann took charge and Rangnick switched his role to Red Bull football's global sports director.
The talent pool he developed with the Red Bull group was something else which was simply sensational. With Salzburg, recruitments included the likes of Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane, Dayot Upamecano and Dominik Szoboszlai. Meanwhile, products of his time overseeing Leipzig included Joshua Kimmich in addition to Marcel Sabitzer and Ibrahima Konate. It goes without saying that he will help to optimise a widely dysfunctional transfer strategy at Old Trafford.
From nothing, he built Leipzig into a stable Champions League outfit. When you look at United, he has the foundations to work with - Rangnick's appointment is poised to work wonders in the prospective revitalisation of the club.
After another year out of the game having left the Red Bull organisation, Rangnick took up the board role at Lokomotiv Moscow in the summer of this year.
Looking overall at his managerial career, he proved a huge success at progressing with clubs. He achieved promotions at the top four levels of German football, including three from the second tier to the Bundesliga. He tasted success over two spells at Schalke, winning the League Cup in the 2005/06 season before DFB Pokal success five years later. He recently oversaw back-to-back league and cup successes as Salzburg's sporting director during his early years with the Red Bull group; in his most recent managerial job, he guided Leipzig to a runners-up spot in the cup.
So, how did a move to United come about given the little time he has spent in his role in Russia? Background checks on managerial options first took place in early November after the defeat against City, though direct contact with Rangnick didn't come until after the Watford loss. John Murtough was responsible for calling the German on Sunday, with the ideology that he is the perceived opposite of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer given his ultra-technicality.
Murtough had worked closely with Rangnick on occasions before. Around two years ago, United's recently-appointed director of football travelled to Leipzig to study the corporate strategy and facilities of the Red Bull football group. Essentially, Rangnick was the reason for Murtough's trip; suspicions from the German that he was the reason for the venture were all but confirmed when he was later informed that an unnamed club were conducting background research on his work.
Back to the present, and Murtough's conversation with Rangnick was positive enough to warrant further calls from Ed Woodward and Richard Arnold. Come Tuesday, Rangnick was flying to England for face-to-face talks at United's London offices - Murtough, Woodward and Arnold were all present along with Matt Judge. Murtough also conducted video interviews with other interim candidates alongside Darren Fletcher, but Rangnick was always the number one target.
Things accelerated on Wednesday night, and an agreement was reached by Thursday lunchtime. The solution was fast, with Lokomotiv respectful of the opportunity and hardly standing in the way of Rangnick making the move. He may only have been in Russia for a short period of time, but he had made enough of a mark during the brief spell to gain more plaudits.
The board were impressed by Rangnick, with one source saying, "It was very clear he put what little time he had to prepare to excellent use. It was abundantly clear he wanted the job and he made damn sure he was going to get it."
If Rangnick joins the board as planned after his interim managerial stint, there will undoubtedly be noticeable boosts given. His vast footballing expertise will facilitate for Arnold's deficiency in that department when he is promoted to Woodward's current role, whilst he can also support the relatively inexperienced Murtough in his footballing director role.
Focusing on the managerial aspect of things, Rangnick is the definition of technical. During his time at Hoffenheim, it was said the "the system is the start."
Rangnick is a perfectionist within the game, with every detail refined and calculated in depth. There is a clear sense of tactical nouse within his sides, with a constant display of coherent football. His approaches are those of high organisation, structure and discipline, yet the ethos of his coaching revolves around relentless energy and intensity. He manages to instill order despite his teams pressing high and attacking at a substantial tempo, with these systems presenting a clear aim behind his management. With identity something lacking at United under Solskjaer, this will be very welcome over the next six months.
In terms of formation, United's commonplace 4231 isn't something synonymous with Rangnick. Through his past couple of jobs, the German has favoured variations of the 442 (be it a diamond or more of a 4222 shift) and a 352 system. He has also been known to use a 433 - something Solskjaer desired but never plucked up the courage to fully deploy.
On the ball, Rangnick entertains a fast-flowing approach. He frowns upon sideways and backwards passing, with his usual approach one to suit a fast, proactive, counter-attacking style of football. Consequently, his sides are widely regarded as very entertaining.
Quick passing is something Rangnick views as key, with the opposition cut open by the sheer speed of progression; the pace at which he likes his sides to attack makes it very difficult for opponents to cut passing lanes. He also favours fast interplay with the use of overloads, especially within the halfspace. Often, the proactive style entails lots of sharp movement, which enhances space creation in buildup and disjoints opposing defences due to a covering dilemma.
Whilst his sides are enthralling to watch in possession, it's what happens out of possession that is utterly mesmerising. Rangnick is fabled for his 'Gegenpressing" system, something which has influenced and revolutionised the football of many top German coaches - including Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel - amongst others.
The Gegenpress has quite literally shaped modern football. Only last year, Nagelsmann said, "Ralf has a special way of looking at football. I used Ralf's philosophy at Hoffenheim - counter-pressing is a very important topic."
In Rangnick's own words, it is a "very simple" concept. Again, it relates to real proactivity of football. To put it as it is, the Gegenpress involves pressing high and providing an intense (yet coordinated) counter press. The system relates to pressing with a numerical advantage of at least one more player, thus achieving overload and forcing opponents to cede possession. The pressure is applied immediately after losing the ball, with Rangnick giving eight seconds for the ball to be recovered after it's lost. By doing this, it is more likely that opposing breaks will be prevented, plus his sides' own transitions can be enhanced through exploitation of opposing disorganisation from their attempted transition. Hence, quick counter attacks are a very prevalent feature of Rangnick's football.
The approach revolves around targetting generally weaker or situationally more vulnerable players. For example, such intense press can be applied effectively to the man who has just won the ball as they are regarded as being vulnerable due to having to set themselves. Players are also classed as being more vulnerable when pressed from their blindside, with one or two players often forming a 'sneak attack'.
Rangnick uses a combination of traps and triggers to catalyse and activate pressing. Traps force opposition to play into certain undesired areas when they are targetted by an intense press, with this collective volume of pressure key to minimise space for opposing players to work with. Triggers relate to spotting vulnerabilities and flaws, such as when centre backs play square passes between one another; a press is initiated high up the pitch, thus shutting down any further options (particularly effective to deny playing out from the back). Pressing high up the pitch is key within Rangnick's system, with deployment of high/mid-blocks preventing any invitation of pressure.
Rangnick himself says, "If you want to increase the speed of your game, you have to develop quicker minds rather than quicker feet."
There have been suggestions that Rangnick may install a 'countdown clock' at Carrington - something which he has used in previous coaching jobs. The clock audibly ticks down, with the intention to aid his sides' transition to and from a high intensity press. During training sessions, he gives eight seconds for the ball to be recovered when lost (with the intention of this being applied in matches). On the flip side, he gives 10 seconds for an attack to be finished once the ball is recovered from a pressing situation. The aim is to elevate the intensity displayed by his team, with the method supposed to achieve rapid results. By rinsing the concept in training, application into match situations feels more natural. It is widely expected that he will attempt to turn this United side into a high pressing team.
As a matter of fact, Rangnick has already been granted access to training sessions via video from an array of different camera angles. It's testament to his commitment that he is already studying the players at work so that he arrives in good stead, ensuring he is familiar with what he is working with.
Another (more light-hearted) method he has been known to use is a 'punishment wheel' to ensure obedience and ultimately results from his players. Examples of punishments have included working in the club shop, serving food in the canteen, guiding stadium tours, mowing training pitches and even training in a tutu.
It can't be disputed that the installation of Rangnick's style will be of great benefit. A side-by-side comparison between United this season and Leipzig three years ago under Rangnick (both in the league) shows some severe disparities in key areas. Throughout the 2018/19 Bundesliga season, Leipzig topped the 'per game' charts in tackles, successful pressures (second for final third pressures), interceptions, recoveries, opposition errors leading to shots and least goals conceded. In contrast, this season's United find themselves bringing up the rear in the bottom four of each of those categories. Most significantly, the reds have the least tackles per match in the entire Premier League. Rangnick could really be a revelation.
It appears he already has had theories in recent years with relation to United, stating in 2019, "Since Sir Alex left they were underperforming - they haven’t won the title since he left. At any club, if you cannot get the right players, then you should at least not sign the wrong ones. You are in trouble if you do that in one or two or three consecutive windows. Club building is about building the right squad by transferring the right players away and having more than a 50% success rate of bringing in the right players."
That same year, he detailed that there was lots of space for vision at United. Now, he seems intent on producing a new vision at the club with his own elite philosophies. Something that ought to be mentioned is his specialties in dealing with youth, as proven during his time with the Red Bull group. He favours younger players due to their open-mindedness, with those of a more tender age better suiting his fast-paced style of football as a manager.
In terms of his style of management and work in general, Rangnick is regared as a "father figure". He is an empathetic man who is willing to listen, with his man-management something valued highly by players both past and present. This comes even in the midst of his very strong beliefs, with Rangnick very particular with his strategies; if someone doesn't fit his system, then it's likely bad news for them.
"He's a projects guy", said a leading football agent. "He’s a guy who will come in and sink his teeth into a project for a number of years - he’ll devise the blueprint and make it happen. He’s a micromanager who is all over the small details."
It's widely covered that Rangnick is one of the brightest in the business. German football specialist Matt Ford is very aligned with this belief, "If John Murtough, Fletcher and United are smart, they will listen to Rangnick, place their trust in him and learn from him. This could be the first correct step the club has taken in 16 years."
Determination is another key asset of Rangnick's makeup. One Bundesliga official expressed, "Working with him can be difficult because he expects things to happen immediately. There's no such thing as tomorrow for him. He'll call you late at night with an idea and expects you to have a good answer straight away. He's very demanding. It can be overwhelming for those who don't know him because he wants them to develop and innovate very quickly. Those that can handle those type of demands tend to grow a lot in their careers. He pushes you to get better."
In Rangnick's own words, his ethos is very much in the ball park of, "If any club wanted to speak to me, the question would have to be: ‘Can I be somebody who can influence areas of development across the whole club?’ Otherwise, you are only getting half of what I am capable of."
As earlier mentioned, Rangnick has influenced many of the great modern German managers (amongst others). Klopp has previously regarded Rangnick as the "best German coach" still within football. Within the past few days, he has said, "Unfortunately, a good coach is coming to United. He built two proper forces in Germany - he is really experienced. United will be organised on the pitch, and that’s obviously not good news for other teams.”
He is incredibly highly regarded amongst the elite. After the news of his takeover as interim manager at United emerged, Pep Guardiola said, "I have spoken to him once by phone. He did an incredible job for Leipzig and Salzburg. In Germany, he is incredibly well known."
Now Bayern Munich's manager, Nagelsmann was another quick to convey his appreciation of Rangnick after the news broke: "I think it's great to see him at United. He will do United incredibly good - the whole club - with the power and the way he plays football. It's totally different to what's been going on there in recent years. I hope he will stay there as manager longer than just next summer.”
With the Chelsea boss speaking ahead of his side's meeting with United this weekend, it became evident how influenced Tuchel had been by Rangnick in the past. The prospective United interim manager's compatriot is seemingly a big admirer of his tactical acumen: "He showed us that it's not necessary to follow people to the toilet in football games, because that was the belief in those days, that the defenders follow their strikers wherever they go. He showed us that it's possible to defend everybody in a zone."
Rangnick coached Tuchel before injury forced him to retire: "He helped me a lot because he was my coach, and then he was one of the main figures to convince to try coaching. He had a huge influence on all of us." Last season's Champions League winning manager admitted that he has "no idea" where he would be now without Rangnick's intervention: "You never know. Nobody can know. Ralf called me because he was my former coach. He knew I was in Stuttgart studying. He asked me if I could imagine to try in the academy."
Tuchel described Rangnick as "tactically elite", something that also applies when it comes to his 'wingman' Lars Kornetka. Reports in Russia have suggested that serious negotiations are underway for Kornetka to move to United as Rangnick’s assistant. Lokomotiv Moscow have offered him the role of sporting director at the club, but it is his choice as to where he ends up.
Kornetka shares a parallel ethos with Rangnick, proved by the quote, "Winning the ball back in the opposition half is the strongest form of dominance there is - it means fewer fouls in your own half, fewer set pieces to defend, fewer deflected shots that might creep in. You're constantly disrupting and demoralising the opposition. You're creating chances against an unsettled defence."
Though Kornetka seems a likely addition alongside Rangnick, it remains unclear as to how may of those involved in the current coaching setup will be maintained. Given it is only an interim job, it's hard to envisage too many adjustments. Rangnick has proven content to adjust those that he works with to further modernise his playing ethos, so he could be open to working with some of the current crop.
Now, we are only awaiting resolution of visa issues and granting of a work permit before Rangnick's work can commence. Michael Carrick remains on standby in case the problems are not solved in time for Rangnick to be in charge against Arsenal on Thursday evening, with the arrival of a work permit anticipated some time in the middle of this coming week.
One thing can be sure, the whole nature of the appointment is a significant stride from Manchester United.
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