Ralf Rangnick, aka “The Professor”, made his name at Schalke in the mid-2000s. He took the job after narrowly missing out on becoming the German Assistant Manager, being beaten out by one Joachim Low. After ending his third stint in the Bundesliga, he dropped back down the German leagues to help build Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig into the top-flight teams they are today. Perhaps a more suitable moniker would be “the team builder”, thanks to his success both on the pitch and in the boardroom.
What should Manchester United fans expect from him? It will be interesting to see how his relationship with the board unfolds, as he has enjoyed very influential roles and a huge amount of power in his previous positions. He has been installed as an interim until the end of the 2021/22 season, which at first glance doesn’t seem like enough time to make any significant changes; before his move to Man United, he spent 5 months as manager of sports and development at Lokomotiv Moscow who are currently 6th in the Russian Premier League. Given that his interim role is expected to last just 6 months, it’s hard to see how much more influential he could be for Manchester United than he was for Lokomotiv. However, with Ed Woodward departing from his role as executive chairman at the end of 2021, there will surely be a reshuffle in the upper reaches of the club, and we might expect to see Rangnicktake on a role more akin to his recent projects.
Inventor of the Gengenpress
He is considered the inventor of the gengenpress, so effectively implemented by Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund and later Liverpool, and has also had a great influence on German football and coaches such as Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann, and Ralph Hassenhuttl.
He has previously outlined his footballing philosophy as one that aims to asphyxiate the opposing team, often talking about the need to win the ball back within 8 seconds after losing it, and the optimal time to score being within 10 seconds of having recovered the ball.
What is Gengenpress?
Gengenpress is a high-intensity style of football designed to win the ball from the opposing team as quickly and as high up the pitch as possible, and the most intense form of “forward defending”. The idea is to not let the opposition get comfortable on the ball by exerting immense physical and psychological pressure on opponents, forcing them into errors in order to gain possession of the ball in favourable areas of the pitch. When implemented correctly, it also helps to slow down opposition attacks.
Not Afraid to Take Risks
With Manchester United having featured in several of our analyses this season, we have discussed their unwillingness to get the ball forward quickly, which seems to be something that, judging by his philosophy, Rangnick will look to address as soon as possible. He is not afraid of his players playing taking risks in order to get the ball into dangerousareas, and will look to play on the second ball if such risky passes go astray – a tactic that has made Man United look dangerous several times this season.
As for winning the ball back, it remains to be seen how The Red Devils will fare playing an intensive pressing style. At first glance, they don’t seem to have the squad to maintain a high-intensity press for 90 minutes, with an ageing Ronaldo leading the line and little attacking depth. In defence too, they haven’t looked particularly solid this season, and I’m not sure that their centre-backs will be comfortable with players like McTominay and Fred pressing higher up the pitch and leaving them exposed.
But Rangnick isn’t just there for his coaching style. He is a club-builder, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him start to implement his philosophy throughout the club. I would expect to see him stay on at the end of his interim contract and move into a back room role, while a new coach is sourced to take over the on-pitch side of things.
Don’t Expect Silverware Straight Away
Having just one German Cup to his name, I don’t think we can expect any immediate silverware. Rangnick will most likely look to shore up the team and keep them in the fight for European places – whether that will be Champions League or UEFA Cup – while building a stable base to springboard off into next season.
It will be really interesting to see what kind of effect this appointment will have on both Manchester United as a club, and Ralf Rangnick as a coach. Although Rangnick comes with a great pedigree, the vast majority of his success has come from developing well-funded, lower-league clubs in Germany. Manchester United are a monolith, and unlike anything he will have ever experienced before. Reaching the top division while developing new talent is not the first order of business at Old Trafford, as it was at Ulm, Hoffenheim, and RB Leipzig. And although it is certain that he will bring plenty of his own experience and ideas to the table, he will also have to deal with the egos, demands, and sprawling infrastructure of a club in a league that is becoming more demanding by the season.
Having said this, he has brought short-term success everywhere he’s been, and consistently converted that in to long-term success. This is what Man United will look to get out of him – his experience in changing the culture at the club, his innovation, and his constant drive for improvement.
What Will these Changes Mean for Man United?
Rangnick will inevitably start looking at younger players, from the academy and to bring in, in order to tolerate and learn his high-energy style of play. He can often be found watching various teams across different age groups, and throughout his career he has excelled at developing young players and selling them on for huge profits. I think we can expect to see a few more Guiseppe Rossis and Paul Pogbas come through the academy in the future, if Rangnick is successful in overhauling the club. However, I think the aim at a club like Manchester United will be to get them into the first team, or use the loan system in the same way that Chelsea do.
More importantly, Rangnick will attempt to implement his “three C’s” model, aiming for success through Concept, Competence, and Capital – or “cash”.
The concept refers to the DNA of the club, and given time Rangnick will look to develop a style of football within the club from top to bottom. Competence is a nod to hiring policies, in a bid to ensure that the best person for the job is in every position, from coaching staff and psychologists to centre backs and strikers. And of course you can’t hire without resources, so the final c – capital – underlines the importance of being backed financially and suggests that there may be movement in the January transfer window. However, it’s not all about buying. As Rangnick emphasises, the correct implementation of concept and competence will generate capital.
All in all, it seems that changes are in the works, although it remains to be seen how these changes will work in one of the biggest clubs in the world, with the biggest egos and biggest expectations. This season will most certainly be one of consolidation, and I think that with the squad that Manchester United have coupled with Rangnick’s philosophy we’ll see more consistent performances against weaker teams. However, I believe that it will take a complete overhaul of the squad to properly implement Rangnick’s ideal style, and I think we’ll see Man Utd struggle to compete with the teams at the top end of the table for a while yet.