In order to plausibly explain Manchester United’s sobering 1-1 at penultimate Newcastle United on Monday, Ralf Rangnick could have used an excuse that is currently used in the Premier League. Due to a corona outbreak in the club two weeks ago, which caused 19 positive tests for the professional team, United had to close its training center for several days. During this time, the two league games against Brentford and Brighton were canceled because sometimes only nine outfield players would have been ready for action.
Although almost all professionals reported back in the short preparation for the resumption of the season (including some injured regulars), the team in Newcastle could see the lack of rhythm. With defensive and playback errors that seemed grotesque at times, such as the deficit caused by Newcastle’s Allan Saint-Maximin (7th), the record champions stood in their own way; 167 (!) Ball losses were the season’s highest value.
Even so, Rangnick did not accept the adverse circumstances as an excuse. He knows other clubs are facing similar complications right now. And so the coach exposed the weaknesses of his team. He admitted that he “didn’t like the performance at all” because his players lacked the necessary “intensity, aggressiveness and physique”. Above all, the team lacks “physicality”, criticized Rangnick. And with that he demanded exactly what the eleven, who tend to be more comfortable, had been missing for a long time, but which they had been able to conceal to some extent under their predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
During his three years at United, club legend Solskjaer gave the team a wait-and-see counter-strategy that did not require an intensive game or tactical masterpieces. In this context, it often seemed that each player was allowed to pursue his own idea. The individual quality hid “a multitude of sins,” wrote the Guardian recently. Until the individual skills are no longer sufficient to achieve the right results.
Cristiano Ronaldo in particular doesn’t skimp on criticism from colleagues
Rangnick is now trying to make radical corrections while the game is running. His approach seems almost contrary to the previous principles. Instead of constantly retreating, Rangnick would like to increase his presence in front of the opposing goal. He demands his players to attack early, to follow up immediately after losing the ball and to act quickly and vertically in possession of the ball – so Rangnick football as we know it from the Bundesliga. But for United, this is still a risk at the moment, because the players are far from being able to implement the requirements in every phase.
The resulting dissatisfaction within the team can be seen in the annoyed body language of some players. Exceptional talent Cristiano Ronaldo seldom spares criticism from colleagues. This time, too, he left the stadium in silence after the final whistle.
Not the big motivator: Cristiano Ronaldo.
(Photo: Owen Humphreys / PA / Imago)
In order to make up the deficit in the second half, Rangnick had two strikers attacked, three central players behind them and full-backs that were far advanced, each of whom had to cover their sides alone. This resulted in the combined equalization by Edinson Cavani (71.), but at the same time some dubious counter-chances opened up for Newcastle. The adjustment problems could not be overlooked, commented the Guardian. Nothing is as conspicuous as “Rangnick’s pulled down lip” when he shakes his head “disapprovingly” at the edge of the page. After all, United remain unbeaten under Rangnick and thus maintain their position in the field of pursuers.
The sporting realignment coincides with a general upheaval in the club. At the end of the year, the managing director Ed Woodward, who has been active since 2013, resigns as governor of the US-American owner family Glazer. The fans in Manchester symbolically criticize the investment banker Woodward for the unsuccessfulness of the title-spoiled club after the end of the career of the coaching legend Alex Ferguson in 2013. Woodward announced his retirement in the course of massive protests against the ultimately crashing failure of a super league in April.
Rangnick could have a hand in many decisions
Woodward’s resignation now sets in motion a change of power. Formally, the previous managing director Richard Arnold is about to move up to the vacancy as an internal solution, but behind the scenes, Rangnick is considered the big winner. Although only equipped with a contract as an interim coach until the end of the season and subsequent consultancy work, the departure of the influential Woodward should hardly deny him a concern – because the football bosses John Murtough and Darren Fletcher had expressly declared him the desired solution.
Three and a half weeks after Rangnick’s arrival, it can already be stated that there is hardly any stone left unturned. Almost the entire team of coaches has since been replaced. For the assistants Michael Carrick, Kieran McKenna and Martyn Pert there were two successors in Chris Armas and Ewan Sharp, whom Rangnick knows from his work as head of soccer at Red Bull. Sports psychologist Sascha Lense and his mentor Helmut Groß joined them.
With this personal rogue, Ralf Rangnick will supposedly have a hand in all important decisions in the future – similar to his time as a club developer in Leipzig and Hoffenheim. However, if he can’t lead Manchester United to the hoped-for success, a lot will likely fall back on him in return. But Rangnick rarely looked for excuses in his career anyway.