Ralf Rangnick has used at least three formations in his time as Man Utd interim manager so far; 4-2-2-2, 4-2-3-1 and recently vs Aston Villa a 4-3-3! I've had my say on the systems used by the German tactics-meister and which I'd like to see more of! Let me know what you think about Man United tactics and the best system for Ralf Rangnick to get the best out of his Manchester United players in the comments below!

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With a coaching career that stretches back to the 1980s, Ralf Rangnick has been around the block with his most successful managerial spell coming at Hoffenheim. Since then, the Professor has been more involved at board level, as he oversaw the Red Bull revolution in Salzburg and Leipzig as the Director of Football. His most recent spell in management came in the 2018/19 Bundesliga where he kept the RB Leipzig seat warm for Julian Nagelsmann. Mainly deploying a 4-2-2-2, Rangnick took the club 3 places higher in the Bundesliga and 13 points better off than they were in the previous season under Ralph Hassenhuttl. Rangnick’s style of play is Intense, direct and tough to keep up with but extremely rewarding and very fun to watch. His Leipzig side would press from a very narrow block which enabled them to press high and frequently force turnovers in dangerous positions. In possession his Leipzig team would get all of its width from overlapping full backs, with the attacking structure resembling a 2-2-4-2 as the creative interiors: Sabitzer and Forsberg, could create from the half spaces. Rangnick’s teams don’t tend to build out from the back and invite pressure to create space higher up the pitch like you’d expect from a possession based style. Instead they’re very direct and often look to play forward as quickly as possible.

So what can we expect at Manchester United? Throughout his career he’s used different systems and had a lot of success with a 4-3-3, a 4-4-2 diamond, 4-2-3-1 and 4-2-2-2 so don’t be surprised if you see tweaks from game to game. The Professor will give all of Man United’s players a crash course in gegenpressing and whilst this could force a lot of fatigue and injuries without a preseason, United’s squad is big enough to cope with the demands. The big question mark is Cristiano Ronaldo. Too good to drop but not suited to a gegenpress, an energetic strike partner could be crucial in allowing him to feature. Despite that, many of his key positions at RB Leipzig can be implemented and fulfilled with the current crop of Manchester United players and I expect the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho to thrive under his management.

In my opinion, Ralf Rangnick is the best interim option full stop and if he was 10 years younger he’d be a contender for the full time job. I question the next step as a consultant and what that actually means. He’s been incredibly successful as a Director of Football so why not use that experience?

That being said I’m still hugely impressed by the appointment and I can’t wait to see more of his style of football at Old Trafford during the rest of the season.

But anyway guys what do you think? Should Ralf Rangnick develop his 4-3-3 or 4-2-2-2? And which players do you think will thrive the most during his time at the reds? Let me know in the comments below!

#Rangnick #ManUtd #PremierLeague