Ralf Rangnick, the new Interim manager of Manchester United for the remainder of the 2021-22 season is known for his strong beliefs in high-intensity pressing or ‘Gegenpressing’, swift vertical passing and zonal marking. He is known to have influenced or mentored many of the up-and-coming German coaches in football. Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann are just a handful of them and arguably among the best coaches in world football right now. Although all three have different styles of playing football, all of them believe in pressing, winning the ball, counter-attacking and more importantly winning games in style, just like Ralf.

Ralf believes his team should always be in control of the game, mentally and physically. In other words, having an overall structured approach, a strong defensive line and an equally capable midfield who know exactly what to do in every situation. He is also quoted to have said “If you want to increase the speed of your game, you have to develop quicker minds rather than quicker feet”. It is more about strengthening the technical aspect of the game for him, rather than only power and physicality. Ralf has also impressively spoken about how the game has advanced over the past decade and how players and coaching staff have to adapt accordingly. This shows his modern coaching technique, which was lacking at United for so many years.

Man United traditionally have always had an attractive style of football, dominating possession, attacking the box repeatedly, having regular shots on target, maintaining a high tempo throughout the game. This has slowly faded in the post-Ferguson era until Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tried to revive it but unsuccessfully in the end. It would be interesting to see how Ralf Rangnick would approach this situation and how best he can make use of the exceptionally talented players at his disposal to bring in his style of modern football. 

It would take considerable time for the players to adapt, but the quicker they get to it, the better for the club, the players, the staff and most importantly, the fans. United have lost enough time already!! 

It’s Now or Never.