Ralf Rangnick’s desire for a consultancy role at Manchester United beyond the current season is set to have a direct impact on their search for a permanent manager.
The 63-year-old German is expected to become United’s interim boss in the next 24-48 hours, and i understands Rangnick impressed football director John Murtough during several meetings and stressed he only wanted the temporary position if a more long-term role followed.
Rangnick is therefore likely to work closely with Murtough from the summer, although this relationship will have the chance to develop once the former takes charge of first-team duties.
This stint is set to give Rangnick a first-hand idea of the areas where United need to improve and strengthen, and he could therefore lay down the foundations – both in terms of strategy and personnel – for the club’s next manager.
But to ensure a seamless transition it would appear the permanent appointment will have to fit the Rangnick mould, or at least show a willingness to adhere to his footballing philosophy.
Thomas Tuchel, Jurgen Klopp and Julian Nagelsmann are all deemed students of Rangnick, having either worked under him or taken inspiration from his Gegenpressing, “rock and roll” methods, but this trio are not departing their current roles anytime soon.
Rangnick is therefore likely to take a different manager under his wing and spread his influence on modern football a little further, with Klopp joking on Friday: “Unfortunately, a good coach is coming to England, to Manchester United… United will be organised on the pitch and that’s obviously not good news for other teams.”
Immediately, Mauricio Pochettino comes to mind. The Argentine is the frontrunner to take over at United next summer, having cooled talk of an earlier move when insisting he was “so happy” at Paris Saint-Germain.
Lauded for his emphasis on high pressing at Tottenham, Pochettino’s “luxury” front three of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe has seen him struggle to implement this tactic in the French capital – which was perhaps most evident in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday.
A move to United and the opportunity to work with Rangnick would allow Pochettino to revert to his pressing methods, although their styles on how to do so somewhat clash – albeit subtly. Gegenpressing is about recovering the ball in an advanced area, while Pochettino’s high pressing also relies on players smothering opponents but is more position-orientated.
This is similar to Marcelo Bielsa, who has heavily influenced the PSG boss throughout his career, a point which in itself should not be understated, and the fact Pochettino has honed his own ideas over 12 years as a head coach means it is unclear whether he would like to work with a director – or whatever role Rangnick may take up – that has their own distinct philosophy.
The same could be said for other names deemed leading contenders for the United role. Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers worked under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, is an admirer of Johan Cruyff, and also labelled Pep Guardiola a “pioneer” for bringing this Barcelona philosophy to Manchester City via Bayern Munich.
Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag is deemed another disciple of Cruyff. The 51-year-old worked under Guardiola at Bayern, and then moved to Utrecht in 2015 before taking the reins at Ajax two years later.
Since joining Ajax, the Dutch club have won the Eredivisie twice, while the 2018-19 run to the Champions League semi-finals was much celebrated as his young side showcased an exciting “Total Football 2.0” approach.
With Ajax winning all five of their Champions League group games so far this season by an aggregate scoreline of 16-3 – including 4-0 and 3-1 wins over Borussia Dortmund – the spotlight is back on Ten Hag, with his attractive football also delivering results.
Ten Hag had said he was flattered by the United links earlier this week but also insisted he is “busy with Ajax”, adding: “I don’t know the plans and strategies of other clubs, but I do know those of Ajax. We want to win titles this season and our focus has to be firmly on this.”
Ten Hag would be a popular appointment, but evidently he would take some convincing, while “total football” is another line of footballing philosophy that does not quite match-up with Rangnick’s.
It would appear, therefore, that United’s next permanent manager may not be the square peg to the Rangnick square hole after all, but rather than being viewed as a partnership that doesn’t fit, a positive collaboration could bring with it an altogether different approach – a meeting of minds which produces a new brand of football entirely. That is a tall order, but whatever the way, United won’t mind so long as it improves performances and gathers results.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3l8cMNu
Post a Comment