Ralf Rangnick is hailed as the 'Godfather of German football' but what makes him so special?
The 63-year-old is immensely talented and revered as a tactical god - someone who inspired Jurgen Klopp's style of gegenpressing.
Rangnick has been linked with replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United. Fans are excited about the move but would he really be the right choice?
Rangnick's tactics explained
Throughout his career, Rangnick has played a 4-4-2 system that can turn into a 4-2-2-2. He seems to prefer deploying two attackers up top, considering he also played 3-5-2 a lot at RB Leipzig.
He's played a 4-3-3 as well at Hoffenheim but not as much as the other formations.
His teams are built to attack and cleverly trap the opponents into making mistakes. They don't retain possession just for the sake of it and refrain from sitting in a deep block, waiting to get the ball back.
Pressing is a common and vital factor in all of his teams and it's no surprise he's known to prefer working with younger players. From the defenders to the attackers and the midfielders, everybody puts in their due and transition quickly to frazzle opponents.
How this impacts United
Right now, United have Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani as striker options but the latter's contract expires next summer. Ronaldo will stay for another season but there is no long-term striker option yet, let alone two.
The Portuguese is also not the best at pressing. Teams that involve Ronaldo are set up to get the best out of the attacker and that goes directly against everything Rangnick's sides are about.
If Rangnick takes charge as interim boss right now, he won't have time to bring in the players he prefers. And if he has to work with what's at hand, imagine the physical toll it will take on Cavani and Ronaldo, who are both 30-plus.
It would also impact game time for our wingers, namely Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, who was signed for £75 million.
A defensive midfielder with pace is essential for Rangnick's set-up to thrive.
Considering there's such a strong emphasis on pressing, it's worth noting that United players have often lacked pace and struggle to track back more often than not. For example, Harry Maguire is too slow at the back and we're yet to find a true-and-tested midfield set-up.
Perhaps this system could have worked with Scott McTominay, Fred and a proper defensive midfielder but again, Nemanja Matic doesn't have the pace needed to thrive under Rangnick.
Rangnick is unlikely to change his style to suit the club, meaning the team would be set up to fail even before the ball is kicked.
External factors could hamper the move
Forget Ole - his replacement or the others in line are unlikely to do much good when the board continues to make questionable decisions both on and off the field.
Fun fact about Rangnick - he was supposed to take charge of AC Milan in 2020 but he's known to demand total control of everything at the club. As a result, his move to Italy fell through.
The Glazers are not the best people to deal with, as claimed by David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.
Furthermore, Rangnick has not managed a team for over a year now. His last stint was with RB Leipzig and he left in 2020.
Right now, he serves as Head of Sports and Development at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow and could be interested in a return to coaching.
