When Manchester United executives discussed the post of interim manager with Ralf Rangnick, they were so pleased by the German’s vision for the club and his understanding of the game that they were willing to offer him the advisory role to draw him away from his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow.
But, as knowledgeable about the game as Rangnick is and as clear as his comprehension of what has gone wrong at Old Trafford over the years, he lacked current coaching experience, which was always going to be a risk with a short-term appointment.
When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho, the team’s performance improved immediately, but the environment had grown toxic at that point, and a few smiles and pats on the back were all that was needed to brighten the mood among a great group.
The difficulties were different this time. Rangnick’s coaching experience over the last decade has been a year in Germany’s second division and then the 2018/19 season with RB Leipzig, and while he can provide it at his best, there is a legitimate argument as to how in tune he is with the modern game when his coaching experience over the last decade has been a year in Germany’s second division and then the 2018/19 season with RB Leipzig.
There was no prior experience managing the caliber of talent on display at United, no recent track record in Europe, and no army of backroom staff to assist him.
Due to his absence from the game, he has had to enlist the assistance of coaches who are complete strangers to this United team. United have arguably suffered more as a result of the exits of Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna than it appeared at the time.
Rangnick has made some progress at Old Trafford since the beginning of December, but not much. There’s a case to be made that Carrick has been United’s best player this season.
When the 63-year-old was given the position four and a half months ago, it appeared like there was still time to salvage the season, but that hasn’t been the case. After a shaky exit from the FA Cup, the team has now suffered a completely inevitable Champions League defeat.
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United’s poor form in the Premier League has cost them ground in the race for the top four, and they now appear to be long shots to return to Europe’s top competition.
Rangnick was in charge of his first Champions League knockout match since Schalke faced United in the 2010/11 semi-finals. Is it really so shocking that his squad looked tactically second best for practically the entire encounter against a side as streetwise as Atletico?
Rangnick was critical of his own team’s performance in Madrid, but he also made mistakes in selection and strategy at the Wanda Metropolitano. United were fortunate to be held to a draw as a team.
At Old Trafford, they were unable to capitalize on their good fortune. United started with the kind of ferocity that you’d anticipate, but once the half-hour mark passed, Atletico came into the game, and the hosts swiftly ran out of ideas.
In the second half, Atletico put on a greatest hits display, ensuring the game became a stop-start affair, aided by a terrible performance from referee Slavko Vincic, but United were clueless when it came to breaking down Atletico, and their play lacked fluency and imagination.
Rangnick has now won nine of United’s 20 games, with Saturday’s exciting victory over Tottenham the only positive result they’ve had against what you may consider elite opposition.
Of course, Rangnick isn’t to blame for everything. Many of these players will have questions to answer at the conclusion of the season, and some of them will be nearing the end of their time at Old Trafford.
But it was also a gamble when they hired a manager with a coaching resume as limited as Rangnick’s for the past decade. Maybe it’ll be a gamble worth taking if he utilizes his consulting role to help finally bring some direction to Old Trafford, but for now, the risk appears like it’ll lead to Europa League football next season, and any long-term reset with Rangnick in the back offices will start from the ground up.
