Ralf Rangnick | ex-interim manager | does anyone rate him?

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pablo__p said:
Agreed in principle.
Why did he bring Rashford on, though? He surely knows that he's a nothing player these days.
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Elanga wasn't having a great game. I like him, but IMO he isn't ready to be thrust into regular starts yet, and he wouldn't be if we had an on-form Rashford or Greenwood was still available.

The subs didn't work last night. That's beyond question, but if we are looking for a manager whose decisions always work then we will be looking forever. His subs more often than not have had a positive impact on matches.
 
Smores said:
I'm not sure what some have been smoking. When he came in no one expected top 4 or to progress deep into the champions league because we were in a truly awful state.

I think people have forgot just how bad we were.
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absolutely expected CL qualification and why could a manager not get us deep when we topped our group?
 
Bebestation said:
Ateltico is one of the most defensively solid teams in the world.

To play against that - he goes and chooses Mctominay and Fred to go defensive against them. :drool:

What happens? Unable to be creative enough to snatch a goal whilst Ateltico get just one off us.

Rubbish manager that has no ability to look at the players he has, what gets the best out of them and his oppositions weaknesses.
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Probably our two best players last night.
 
Bilbo said:
Probably our two best players last night.
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And that's fine but players that perform well doesn't mean that this was the right tactic.

We went up playing the same game atletico do whilst not trying to take on their weaknesses.

If you think Mctominay and Fred is the way to get the best out of Atleticos weaknesses then that's I guess just an opinion.

Ps I'm not a complaints person of McFred either- just the wrong match to play them vs.
 
padzilla said:
One particular area of frustration has been his backing of Maguire - the guy has been completely awful for a sustained period of time but seems undroppable if fit.

Lindelof looks like prime Baresi in comparison but can't get a sniff of a start if Varane is fit - there are only so many scenarios for this.

1) Ralf thinks Maguire is our best option and should play regularly
2) Maguire has something in his contract that says he plays when fit
3) Ralf is not prepared to take on the big names in the dressing room regardless of performance levels

Whatever it is, it certainly does not bode well for Ralf's capacity to get us over the line and our hopes of reaching top four.
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In all honesty our whole defense is dire, our CBs to be precise. We spent over 150 mil on 4 CBs and Maguire gets most of the stick because we paid him the most and he is english. IMO Lindelof is still our worst CB but in general we have him who can be bullied almost every game, Maguire who is slow and has his own limitations and Bailly and Varane who are injury prone. Varane would be my only pick if he could stay healthy. Lindelof should go to a less phisically demanding league, Bailly should asses his style of play and Maguire should be benched or play for a mid table Premiership team
 
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spiriticon said:
I think he's doing OK with whatever tools he has.

We clearly can't play the gegenpressing game which is his style, because the players are either too stupid, too unfit or too unmotivated to try it.

He's been trying to apply bandages to this team since he got here with all these personnel and formation changes every week, but there's just too many deep wounds.
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Unbelievable that a group of players aren't able/willing to pull off any kind of pressing system.
 
Bebestation said:
And that's fine but players that perform well doesn't mean that this was the right tactic.

We went up playing the same game atletico do whilst not trying to take on their weaknesses.

If you think Mctominay and Fred is the way to get the best out of Atleticos weaknesses then that's I guess just an opinion.

Ps I'm not a complaints person of McFred either- just the wrong match to play them vs.
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Who would you have played instead then?
 
Yes i do in answer to OG OP.

What we are seeing on the pitch is not something that has only happened in the 3 or 4 months, we are better since he took over than we were prior to him arriving and everything that has happened since he came is not of his doing all the coaching staff leaving, Greenwood issues, the timing of the loans out of the club also.
 
AFC NimbleThumb said:
This point can’t be pressed enough. Watch us dither away another Summer & rush a few transfers in though.

A rebuild doesn’t need to take forever.
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The problem is, and has always been, zero direction from the top of the hierarchy.

Moyes, who likes deep defenses and counter attacks, to LvG who likes posession, to Jose and Ole who likes deep defenses and counter attacks to RR who wants us to play high press again.

These rebuilds takes forever, becaue whenever we change managers, we select one with a completely different style so they end up with a squad that is full of square pegs in round holes. I bet we will give RR 2-3 seasons to "build his team" and then sack him and appoint someone like Simeone
 
Refreshingly candid in his 'if you don't want to be hear, you csn go' attitude to players. Hopefully he's seen enough to provide constructive input to the new manager. Perhaps as a consultant his role will see us sign fewer duds and egos.

That's about it though.

Hard to be too critical given what he's had to work with. He couldn't, for example have forseen the Greenwood situation. There can be little doubt that this Augean Stable of players needs a radical clear out.
 
Hansi Fick said:
With what right do people act as if progressing over Atletico should be expected? That's what they do, clutch a goal, hold on to it, destroy the game, frustrate the opposition, occupy the referee. And they have genuine quality too. No offense, but better teams than you have suffered that fate.
You were actually playing great in the first half, probably the best I've seen you play in a while. Some great stuff. But you can't sustain performances over 90 minutes, that's not a new story. Rangnick hasn't solved it, but then interim managers can only do so much. On top of that he and the team have been somewhat unlucky to not get rewarded more for and during the good patches in games.
As for people starting with "not better than under Ole", the point is moot, Ole had to be fired. He had to.
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This. Pep also got KO‘d against Atlético with Bayern. They were the Spanish Champion last year and have a good squad. More importantly, they are a well-oiled machine with a manager that formed the squad to his liking over a long time.

Honestly, losing by 1 goal against Atlético isn’t a catastrophe. They can do that to literally any team.

I don’t know what the fans are expecting of Rangnick, but United have made genuine progress under him in terms of play style. But the squad still isn’t his and he wasn’t given any freedom for winter transfers.

The damage had been done before Rangnick. Judging a manager who takes over mid season is imo not reasonable.

This is the 5th season without a title, and there’s a reason for that. Look at the last 3 Managers: Van Gaal, Mourinho, Ole - all completely different philosophies and you can tell by looking at the team.
 
Wiesenlooser said:
This. Pep also got KO‘d against Atlético with Bayern. They were the Spanish Champion last year and have a good squad. More importantly, they are a well-oiled machine with a manager that formed the squad to his liking over a long time.

Honestly, losing by 1 goal against Atlético isn’t a catastrophe. They can do that to literally any team.

I don’t know what the fans are expecting of Rangnick, but United have made genuine progress under him in terms of play style. But the squad still isn’t his and he wasn’t given any freedom for winter transfers.

The damage had been done before Rangnick. Judging a manager who takes over mid season is imo not reasonable.

This is the 5th season without a title, and there’s a reason for that. Look at the last 3 Managers: Van Gaal, Mourinho, Ole - all completely different philosophies and you can tell by looking at the team.
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This season's Athletico is a pale shadow of past ones, so I dont entirely accept this. We lacked quality in final third all match, Elanga obviously unlucky but about the only time we got in behind. Created pretty much nothing in second half, we stopped pressing and had no ideas. Not saying it is down to Ralf but this was a disappointing performance, and his second half subs were poor. Ronaldo looked like the aging player he is against better defenders.
 
CraftySoAndSo said:
Good to get outside perspective from a non united fan. I think too many are still upset about last night to post sensibly.
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And that's fair enough, but I'm also refering to the pundits and media - the interviewer asking De Gea question like Manchester United had just been closed down as a club, not like the team had narrowly lost a tight and difficult game at a high level. Which any team could lose.
The triumvirate of old boys in Scholes, Rio, Hargreaves showing nothing but disdain and moral disappointment towards the current team while reminiscing how it was in their time.
The sense of expectation, entitlement, reproachfulness, judgement drenched in doom and gloom. Not helpful, not realistic, not appropriate, both hyperbolically pessimistic and at the same time arrogant.

At some point the people in the club, manager, players, but also the DoF, need to stop taking this lying down. They need to push back publicly and start defending the team instead of issuing wallowing apologies how they let everyone down.

If this was Bayern, someone from the board would be out pushing back against the pundits, like Brazzo did against Matthäus the other week.
 
Hansi Fick said:
And that's fair enough, but I'm also refering to the pundits and media - the interviewer asking De Gea question like Manchester United had just been closed down as a club, not like the team had narrowly lost a tight and difficult game at a high level. Which any team could lose.
The triumvirate of old boys in Scholes, Rio, Hargreaves showing nothing but disdain and moral disappointment towards the current team while reminiscing how it was in their time.
The sense of expectation, entitlement, reproachfulness, judgement drenched in doom and gloom. Not helpful, not realistic, not appropriate, both hyperbolically pessimistic and at the same time arrogant.
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I couldn't agree more.
 
Wiesenlooser said:
This. Pep also got KO‘d against Atlético with Bayern. They were the Spanish Champion last year and have a good squad. More importantly, they are a well-oiled machine with a manager that formed the squad to his liking over a long time.

Honestly, losing by 1 goal against Atlético isn’t a catastrophe. They can do that to literally any team.

I don’t know what the fans are expecting of Rangnick, but United have made genuine progress under him in terms of play style. But the squad still isn’t his and he wasn’t given any freedom for winter transfers.

The damage had been done before Rangnick. Judging a manager who takes over mid season is imo not reasonable.

This is the 5th season without a title, and there’s a reason for that. Look at the last 3 Managers: Van Gaal, Mourinho, Ole - all completely different philosophies and you can tell by looking at the team.
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Its clear as day that we are playing much better. The issue right now is the quality of players. Anyone with even a slight bit of footballing knowledge can see our overall quality is not where it needs to be.
If we want to play modern progressive football we need players that can actually perform that style of football for 90 minutes.
 
The problem remains to be the inability and unwillingness amongst the players to embrace Ralf's tactical style. If there is no faith and conviction amongst the team to play the brand of football the manager has been brought in to inculcate, then what hope does Ralf have in churning out results?

We are a shambles of a team and I can't wait for a decent size clear-out. Has there ever been a more unprofessional Top 6 side to ever grace the premier league?
 
CraftySoAndSo said:
Good to get outside perspective from a non united fan. I think too many are still upset about last night to post sensibly.
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I'm not upset about last night because losing to them was to be expected. I'm upset about how badly we've been run for the past decade and how that has led to not only those low expectations, but the fact we'll probably not even make it back into the CL next season, yet again.
 
DRJosh said:
The problem remains to be the inability and unwillingness amongst the players to embrace Ralf's tactical style. If there is no faith and conviction amongst the team to play the brand of football the manager has been brought in to inculcate, then what hope does Ralf have in churning out results?

We are a shambles of a team and I can't wait for a decent size clear-out. Has there ever been a more unprofessional Top 6 side to ever grace the premier league?
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I don't think it's the unwillingness, but more so inability.

We have a squad suited to a Conte and got Ralf. Our upper management and decision makers will be the end of this club. Constant terrible decision making and no changes in the personnel.
 
Hansi Fick said:
And that's fair enough, but I'm also refering to the pundits and media - the interviewer asking De Gea question like Manchester United had just been closed down as a club, not like the team had narrowly lost a tight and difficult game at a high level. Which any team could lose.
The triumvirate of old boys in Scholes, Rio, Hargreaves showing nothing but disdain and moral disappointment towards the current team while reminiscing how it was in their time.
The sense of expectation, entitlement, reproachfulness, judgement drenched in doom and gloom. Not helpful, not realistic, not appropriate, both hyperbolically pessimistic and at the same time arrogant.

At some point the people in the club, manager, players, but also the DoF, need to stop taking this lying down. They need to push back publicly and start defending the team instead of issuing wallowing apologies how they let everyone down.

If this was Bayern, someone from the board would be out pushing back against the pundits, like Brazzo did against Matthäus the other week.
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Excellent point the ex player pundits are getting really fecking tedious now.
 
the_cliff said:
I don't think it's the unwillingness, but more so inability.

We have a squad suited to a Conte and got Ralf. Our upper management and decision makers will be the end of this club. Constant terrible decision making and no changes in the personnel.
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You could be right, but why was Ralf hired in the first place? I would be intrigued to learn who in the hierarchy thought it would be wise for us to become a pressing team? That individual deserves the sack amongst several other personnel
 
Bebestation said:
And that's fine but players that perform well doesn't mean that this was the right tactic.

We went up playing the same game atletico do whilst not trying to take on their weaknesses.

If you think Mctominay and Fred is the way to get the best out of Atleticos weaknesses then that's I guess just an opinion.

Ps I'm not a complaints person of McFred either- just the wrong match to play them vs.
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Every team needs balance. Matic is the only real 6 we have, who is barely able to provide the base for two more attacking midfielders. He can’t play 2 games or even last full 90 minutes a week. We shouldn‘t lie to ourselves and think, that we had a real chance to win the CL anyway. Therefore it’s the right decision to play/rest Matic in/for the league to potentially secure 4th place.

Bruno and Pogba together leaves us exposed to every counter attack and aren‘t in from either, where we can rely on them to win us the game due to goals or assists. McFred is the only realistic option we had yesterday, that at least offers any kind of balance. Even with both of them in the team Atlético looked dangerous every time they attacked us in the first half. They just dropped of in the second half, because they didn‘t want to risk anything. When we threw on Pogba and other attacking options, it didn‘t change anything. We played even worse as a team, because balance and synergies between certain players and positions is key. It‘s more important than individual brilliance and big names.
 
Ralf has been good with his subs generally, last night they didn’t work out. But it’s not like he is blessed with much to choose from.

United are not where they are because of Ralf’s couple of months in charge!

It’s years of problems and the manager will never be the complete solution some fans are hoping for.
 
Gordon Godot said:
This season's Athletico is a pale shadow of past ones, so I dont entirely accept this. We lacked quality in final third all match, Elanga obviously unlucky but about the only time we got in behind. Created pretty much nothing in second half, we stopped pressing and had no ideas. Not saying it is down to Ralf but this was a disappointing performance, and his second half subs were poor. Ronaldo looked like the aging player he is against better defenders.
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They are not having a great season but won the last 5 matches in a row. It’s a lackluster season for them but overall it’s still a great team that won the league last year. They’ll likely qualify for CL so I would not call it a ‘shadow’, but a season within perimeters
 
We created chances. We failed on concentration twice, which cost us the goal.

My only issue with RR yesterday was bringing Rashford. Pogba's subbing in didn't work out, but I can see the reasoning.

With Rashford there is only one choice now; either start him in order to sub him for Elanga around the 50th minute, with the hope that Elanga can exploit a more tiring defender, OR don't use him at all.
 
Ralf gets a free pass from me. He’s joined as an interim and has taken on an impossible task really. Our attack has been severely blunted by losing Greenwood and let’s face it Rashford, who this season looks like he’s been completely space jammed (not just a bit off, like he was always capable of being).

then take the nature of greenwood’s departure, the incredibly low morale we had and the excess of mediocrity, there wasn’t really much he could do or that I expected him to do.

what he has done is spoken wonderfully and thoughtfully in all interviews, made me feel like he does understand what’s going on and that he voices what we are thinking. He also picks largely good teams from what he has (imo) and often (not last night) makes good and early (you all wanted this) subs.

He’s dropped Rashford, dropped AWB and Shaw at times, dropped Pogba, hell even Ronaldo. He’s not afraid to do what’s best for the team, even if the team is shit, and that’s all I can ask for an interim. When he goes upstairs or if he stays on, I hope he gets more influence than the people with far less pedigree above him.
 
I rate Ralf higher as a football director than as a football manager. We ultimately bought him here so he could be upstairs rather on the touchline, judging by the deal we gave him in December.

I don’t think anyone was saying Ralf was this amazing manager when we hired him. It was more we were happy because we appointed someone who was a good example of how modern club structure works, as we’ve messed about with Woodward and whoever the manager is at the time.

I don’t think you can fairly judge him on this interim period. He’s basically working with the squad Solskjaer built these past 3 years. He wasn’t an active manager at the time when we hired him so he‘s had to cobble together a coaching staff. He got thrown curveballs that 90% of managers never get like what Greenwoods been up to, and these constant fecking player leaks from what feels like half a dozen unhappy players, who are unhappy for whatever reason.

He has truly stepped into a football hell, created by Woodward and his managerial choices.
 
Bebestation said:
And that's fine but players that perform well doesn't mean that this was the right tactic.

We went up playing the same game atletico do whilst not trying to take on their weaknesses.

If you think Mctominay and Fred is the way to get the best out of Atleticos weaknesses then that's I guess just an opinion.

Ps I'm not a complaints person of McFred either- just the wrong match to play them vs.
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We'll never know whether things would have been different had we made a different selection, but what they did was allowed us to have control of the game. From a coaching standpoint I'd personally consider that as job well done. Give your team control, and hope that one of our four attack minded players can put them away.
 
The fact he identified we needed two midfielders and all the talk was haidara tchumenie kamara then by the end of Jan wasn't allowed not even one was when you knew this would end the same. He should have mentioned this early Feb in one of his press conferences that he's hampered by this. I'm sure we would have been a more solid unit and wouldn't be in this predicament. As you not sow, so shall you not reap, should be our motto
 
Gordon Godot said:
This season's Athletico is a pale shadow of past ones, so I dont entirely accept this. We lacked quality in final third all match, Elanga obviously unlucky but about the only time we got in behind. Created pretty much nothing in second half, we stopped pressing and had no ideas. Not saying it is down to Ralf but this was a disappointing performance, and his second half subs were poor. Ronaldo looked like the aging player he is against better defenders.
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This month’s Atletico is not the same as the Atletico of this Autumn, and more akin to the Atletico of last Spring. It is a very good team wether you look at form, general quality, player potential or CL experience, which we know is important. When was it last they dispatched Klopp’s armada?

I think yesterday’s game was much like both the coaches expected - a tight game with few openings, some to each team, and the first goal could ve crucial, as it turned out. Elanga missed his chance more due to bad luck than bad finishing, Atleti scored theirs, not due to a gap in quality really. A tie of margins.

Anybody expecting anything very different, to me are not basing their expectations on realities.
 
DRJosh said:
You could be right, but why was Ralf hired in the first place? I would be intrigued to learn who in the hierarchy thought it would be wise for us to become a pressing team? That individual deserves the sack amongst several other personnel
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Beats me, It's as if that person didn't watch a minute of our play with Ole.

I feel like maybe the board saw what happened with Tuchel and Chelsea and thought maybe Tuchel's Mentor would have a similar impact.
 
I remember him being lauded by some as a tactical genius and that because of that people thought he could do us well in the champions league. That aged well
 
Chairman Steve said:
I rate Ralf higher as a football director than as a football manager. We ultimately bought him here so he could be upstairs rather on the touchline, judging by the deal we gave him in December.

I don’t think anyone was saying Ralf was this amazing manager when we hired him. It was more we were happy because we appointed someone who was a good example of how modern club structure works, as we’ve messed about with Woodward and whoever the manager is at the time.

I don’t think you can fairly judge him on this interim period. He’s basically working with the squad Solskjaer built these past 3 years. He wasn’t an active manager at the time when we hired him so he‘s had to cobble together a coaching staff. He got thrown curveballs that 90% of managers never get like what Greenwoods been up to, and these constant fecking player leaks from what feels like half a dozen unhappy players, who are unhappy for whatever reason.

He has truly stepped into a football hell, created by Woodward and his managerial choices.
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Think people forget how much the Greenwood situation has impacted on the team.
 
DomesticTadpole said:
Think people forget how much the Greenwood situation has impacted on the team.
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I'm getting a bit tired of everything affecting the team no matter how big or small.

Chelsea are still winning games despite the club's future being very uncertain and wrapped up in a political crisis.
 
the_cliff said:
I don't think it's the unwillingness, but more so inability.

We have a squad suited to a Conte and got Ralf. Our upper management and decision makers will be the end of this club. Constant terrible decision making and no changes in the personnel.
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It's the same old complete lack of continuity at the club. We went from LVG to Mourinho, Mourinho to Ole, Ole to Ralf. All completely different managers, all resulted in outcries about money wasted and players not fit for purpose. We once again appoint a manager whose ethos is in no way suited to the players we have in the squad and then whinge that the players aren't good enough when they can't execute. It's the board who aren't good enough I'm afraid. They're the people who have continually insisted on square pegs for round holes.
 
horsechoker said:
I'm getting a bit tired of everything affecting the team no matter how big or small.

Chelsea are still winning games despite the club's future being very uncertain and wrapped up in a political crisis.
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Wasn't really meaning in the confidence context, more the options context.
 
pocco said:
We were getting battered by the likes of Watford and Leicester. He's settled things down and seems to have the measure of things/players now, but the damage was done already. In making us a bit more solid in defence we've not been great in attack. But under Ole we were mostly bailed out by moments of magic anyway. At least he's got Sancho playing too.
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We're no better defensively and are still relying on moments of magic (Ronaldo v Spurs)
 
Zen86 said:
It's the same old complete lack of continuity at the club. We went from LVG to Mourinho, Mourinho to Ole, Ole to Ralf. All completely different managers, all resulted in outcries about money wasted and players not fit for purpose. We once again appoint a manager whose ethos is in no way suited to the players we have in the squad and then whinge that the players aren't good enough when they can't execute. It's the board who aren't good enough I'm afraid. They're the people who have continually insisted on square pegs for round holes.
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Perfectly said.
 
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