Since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013,Manchester United have tried vainly to copy the astonishing Scot’s direction for fulfillment. It had been a direction that yielded 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two Champions Leagues, including the most important unmatched English treble in 1999.
However, Ferguson’s successor at United, David Moyes wasn’t upto the quality. Neither were coaches of the pedigree of Louis van Gal or Jose Mourinho, not to mention the underqualified Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. however not solely as a result of their own individual shortcomings; more importantly because Manchester United were stuck in the past.
Elite fashionable soccer clubs don’t seem to be run by one manager. they’re exactly structured just like the efficient multi-billion-dollar businesses they are, with specialists in relevant positions. United had not been ready to evolve and adapt to the present. And whereas they have spent around a billion pounds on transfers since Sir Alex retired, they hadn’t realized the club needed an amendment from top to bottom because of their own vanity and incompetence.
However, following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last month, United have taken the fascinating step of hiring the famed coach Ragnick on an interim basis till the tip of the season, then he can move upstairs into a consultancy role. It is a clear range of action that has been uncommon at United in recent years and has been met with vast praise by fans who were tired with the board making questionable selections.
But some are still questioning the CV of Ragnick and are confused about soccer fanatics being excited about this appointment. comparatively unknown in England, the 63-year-old has been a major figure in Germany since his emergence in 1998. Ragnick initially placed his theories with success during his time at Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig. The clubs that Ragnick built in Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig have fully grown in quality and performances, and even their biggest critics would agree that the systems Ragnick enforced work sort of a charm. For good or for worse, both clubs are now established in the Bundesliga as clubs known to play fast flowing football and also being the foundation for many young and emerging players.
This majorly helps United in 2 important ways in which. Firstly, United were starved of what some say ‘tactics’ on the pitch throughout the age of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ragnick positively brings that on the plate together with his famed ‘gegenpressing’ and elite ways. But also, the practice role that Ragnick can use is one that may permit him to structure vital components of the club; the youth breaking into the primary team, recruiting new players from alternative clubs, revitalizing contracts for existing players, hiring coaches that have the qualities to be at United, and most significantly, hiring a permanent manager within the summer when Ragnick’s interim term ends. These tasks are unbelievably vital, particularly when United have revived contracts of questionable players that haven’t performed at the highest level. This had led to youngsters not being given adequate opportunities and hence, have had to leave the club and shine somewhere else. And most importantly, United have failed to hire a manager that has filled the role successfully with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign of 3 years ending trophyless too.
These tasks are commonly given importance at other elite clubs, hence it’s a surprise that United have been so ignorant of these problems at the club. But Rangnick is definitely a step in the right direction and is a source of excitement to fans who have been baffled by how poorly the club has been run for the past decade.
This could be the best move the club has made in years.
Ali Rasheed