When Manchester United got humilliated to Liverpool and then Watford, conceding nine goals in two games in a short time span, it was clear and obvious Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had to go. When Man United announced that Ralf Rangnick was to become the interim manager until the end of the season, there were a few brows rising. The German was never really the manager in the first place, always more of a sporting director, overseeing the team’s overall philosophy and bringing in players and managers that fit the mould. But then United announced Rangnick was to remain in the consultancy role once his job as the manager is done at the end of the campaign. And that made much more sense.
Man United are one of the few clubs of their stature to not have any kind of sporting director or at least a board of men with the footballing background who would oversee the team, the transfers and everything that goes with it. So bring in Rangnick to become the man who will at least advise United on how to move forward seemed as a positive change waiting to happen. But then the latest news came in.
Former Manchester United interim boss and the club announced he will not follow through on the two-year advisory role which was agreed upon when Rangnick took over the team last December. The 63-year-old was expected to remain the consultant until June 2024, but that has now been scrapped. The German also confirmed that in a press conference, which led to many questions.
The main reason that is believed to be behind this decision seems to be Rangnick’s takeover of the Austria national team. That was the job he accepted before his time as Man United interim boss had ended. But all of this begs a simple question – what was the point of bringing in Rangnick after all?
It seems like this 2021-22 season was just a lot of lost time. When Rangnick came in, most fans and pundits expected the German to change the way United play, to try and instill a different system in the squad and get more out of them. But after a short try in the beginning, Rangnick opted to go for the same old we had the chance to see under Solskjaer. Maybe that 4-2-3-1 came as the result of a clearly dysfunctional squad, but there were no systematic changes, there were no improved performances from numerous players. Just more heartbreaks we already had seen under Solskjaer. So now that Rangnick leaves, this season feels like lost time, like a lost opportunity to find someone who will prepare the squad for the next season. Maybe the arrival of Ten Hag really changes things for the better. Maybe United start on an upward trajectory from this next season, but this entire campaign still feels like going down the drain.
In perspective, the entire season looks like a season without a clear plan or a clear leadership. The results are obvious – the worst Premier League campaign since its inception in 1992 and another season without Champions League football.
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