Has Ralf Rangnick made Manchester United less successful? This is an issue we’re all facing at some point in our lives. After all, who hasn’t? We’ve all seen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Louis van Gaal fail to deliver and David de Gea fail to keep a clean sheet. But who has been the most disastrous of the four?
Ralf Rangnick
After being appointed manager of Manchester United just six months ago, Ralf Rangnick has largely failed to live up to his expectations. The club finished the season in sixth place, only two points off the Europa League, and failed to qualify for the Champions League. The team also finished with just 58 points, finishing 16-10-12 overall. Rangnick’s side also scored only 57 goals in 38 matches, making him one of the worst managers in the history of the Premier League.
Many have questioned whether Ralf Rangnick has really made Manchester United worse. Former United director of football Andy Brassell has questioned whether Rangnick was solely to blame for the poor season. He feels that Rangnick was never given any real authority, as a consultant and interim coach. Despite this, he believes that Rangnick failed to deliver any meaningful long-term changes to the club. And he is not the only one who thinks this.
Before being appointed as manager of Manchester United, Rangnick managed the Austrian national team. He wanted to sign a striker, but the club already had Mason Greenwood and Anthony Martial. He later signed Luis Diaz and a number of others, but failed to get his man. But the manager also wanted Dusan Vlahovic. Both Rangnick and Solskjaer must take some responsibility for the poor performance. Neither manager seemed to be in the right frame of mind when United started badly and conceded a goal early.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Ralf Rangnick was appointed as the new manager of Manchester United after the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaers. The Norwegian had previously worked at Schalke, RB Leipzig and Hoffenheim. Despite his acclaim, Rangnick has been unable to turn United’s season around. According to Solskjaer, Rangnick has failed to do anything about this.
Since his arrival, Rangnick has been a disappointment. The Norwegian has failed to turn United’s fortunes around since being appointed in November. Rangnick has struggled to influence the team and they have fallen five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal. But the defender has defended his former manager. He says that top-flight football has no patience.
Rangnick’s mediocre reign at Manchester United is in large part the fault of the board. Rangnick had been out of a managerial job for most of the last decade, and only managed 88 games, including two seasons at RB Leipzig. Rangnick was desperate for reinforcements in January but failed. The supporters didn’t turn against Rangnick personally. Rangnick was a good man parachuted into a desperate situation.
Louis van Gaal
Despite being a former United manager, Ralf Rangnick’s reign is one of the most unusual in club history. The former Germany international quit the club he managed 10 years ago, but his influence on German football can’t be underestimated. The tactic he brought to Manchester United is credited for helping to shape the game of Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel. He was a master tactician.
While Rangnick is praised as a coach, he’s failed to impose any discernible structure on his players. He’s best known for his pressing style, but United rarely applied it. Rangnick’s team also lacked a cohesive plan, which has a detrimental effect on their games. Many players preferred the sessions with Michael Carrick and Kier McKenna rather than his own coaching style.
Manchester United have a major squad problem, and several players have already surrendered to fate. Cristiano Ronaldo, Jesse Lingard, and Nemanja Matic are all rumoured to leave. According to Ralf Rangnick, the Red Devils might need to sign six more players to compete with Liverpool. Ralf Rangnick’s team is now disjointed, and their performance was so poor against Newcastle last week that they lost four points in their Champions League tie.
David de Gea
While David de Gea has been the best player in the world this season, his goalkeeping has failed to live up to expectations. In eight Premier League games, he has conceded six goals and is second worst in the division. Ralf Rangnick’s record is even worse, with the worst win percentage of any Manchester United manager. With six defeats in his first seven Premier League games, Rangnick’s team is in desperate need of a goalkeeper.
The team struggled to find a rhythm during the game, but David de Gea saved them from the attacking efforts of Norwich City. Ralf Rangnick, Manchester United’s interim manager, praised De Gea for his goalkeeping performance, but admitted that the team’s poor start had caused problems. Ralf Rangnick said: “David de Gea has made Manchester United worse than they were last season, but we are not yet at that point.”
After Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat to Everton, David De Gea labelled his attackers as ‘not good enough’. He also pointed out that Manchester United’s goals don’t always reflect the quality of teams, and that Rangnick’s team must improve. However, he isn’t the only manager to blame for the club’s recent struggles.
Juan Mata
The departure of both Juan Mata and Ralf Rangnick has left fans wondering how they can be so critical of the club. Both players have excelled in their respective fields and the former has made Manchester United a better team. However, the former’s role in the team is limited, and he was often pushed to the right wing. The club’s other stars were given more prominence than Mata. Most players of Mata’s caliber would have demanded a bigger role or even asked to be let go. But Mata never complained or made a bad gesture to his club, instead, he gave his best service.
Both managers have failed to improve the team’s performance this season. Both managers have underused a number of players, with the likes of Eric Bailly and Aaron Wan-Bissaka underused. Ralf Rangnick has also failed to make use of players such as Bruno Fernandes, David De Gea, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho, and Anthony Elanga. However, Rangnick has been very complimentary of Luke Shaw.
Paul Pogba
If you are looking to find out why Ralf Rangnick has failed as interim manager of Manchester United, read on. The German has questioned the club’s hierarchy over spending on players like Nemanja Matic and Amad Diallo and has criticised the’six point’ approach to football. Rangnick has also questioned the spending on young players like Donny van de Beek. In the final game of his spell as interim manager, Rangnick made Manchester United worse, according to a ‘Metro’ article.
While Rangnick came to the club with the reputation of being the world’s best tactician, his players have struggled to play well. In particular, their inability to defend has seen them slip to a relegation zone in the league. The team has also lacked cohesion and unity. They were thrashed by Liverpool at Anfield, where they were 4-0 down in a single match.
While many people blame Rangnick for making United worse, the fact remains that the board should take some of the blame. The German had only managed 88 games in the last decade and twice managed RB Leipzig. He was appointed to Manchester United in the summer after announcing a transfer ban and failed to impress the fans. After six months, Rangnick pleaded with the board to bring in reinforcements, which was ultimately granted.
David Moyes
Many fans and media have been quick to say that David Moyes and Ralf Rangnick are to blame for the current state of Manchester United. The former is widely considered the best tactician in the world, and came to the club with great expectations. However, since his arrival, the club have struggled to score goals and defend their lead. While Cristiano Ronaldo has sparked excitement with eight goals in his last nine appearances, Rangnick has not been able to do the same.
Among Rangnick’s weaknesses is his lack of knowledge of the team’s squad. He is often confused by how players react when they lose possession of the ball, while top-class players would rather have the ball than be beaten by a second-tier team. Rangnick also had a remarkably energetic first half in his debut game, but failed to improve Manchester United. This is a huge disappointment.
As for Rangnick’s management style, it’s hardly surprising that he didn’t have a coherent transfer policy. The board of Manchester United should take some of the blame for Rangnick’s poor record. While he was in charge of the club for just over a decade, he managed just eighty-eight games, most of them in the Bundesliga, and was twice the manager of RB Leipzig. He even begged the board for reinforcements during the final months of his reign. In the end, United fans were not against him personally. Rangnick was a good man who was parachuted into a desperate situation.