Jamie Carragher: Ralf Rangnick made similar impact like Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel on Manchester United
Ralf Rangnick started his Manchester United career with a victory against Crystal Palace, and Jamie Carragher compared the impact he has made at United to what Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel did at their clubs. The Red Devils will take on Young Boys in the Champions League tomorrow with qualification for the knockout rounds already ensured.
Man United won possession 12 times in the opposition final third, which was a record high for the club since Opta recorded such data. Even with the lack of time, the German has made noticeable changes for the better within the team. That has promoted the Liverpool legend to appreciate what he has done in a short period.
Speaking on Monday Night Football on Sky Sports (h/t Daily Mail Online), Carragher has admitted that the improvements were impressive against Palace in the Premier League. He then goes on to make comparisons with Klopp and Tuchel and the impact they had on their respective teams.
“I was impressed with Manchester United. From the fact Ragnick put a stamp on the team from day one. That was a criticism of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and it’s a similarity with Klopp and Tuchel. He put a stamp on it straight away, with his system and pressing from the front.”
“The top managers – certainly these German managers that have come in when the season’s already started – they put the stamp on their team in game one, Tuchel and Klopp, two of the best managers in Europe. Whatever you say about United’s performance yesterday, Ragnick put that stamp on his team.”
Double-edged sword?
The 63-year-old has impacted the Red Devils since his arrival and the circumstances are similar to when the other German duo took their job. Both Liverpool and Chelsea were struggling under Brendan Rodgers and Frank Lampard, following which Klopp and Tuchel were brought in.
The Reds lost a lot of their identity on the pitch once Luis Suarez was sold and Steven Gerrard. Chelsea were also having a tough time and Lampard wasn’t able to curb their poor run. And once Klopp and Tuchel came in, it was evident that they wanted their teams to play a certain way. Arguably, Rangnick has given an impression that he wants to give this team a new identity, or an identity to begin with.
However, Carragher’s comments are also putting heavy pressure on the interim manager to replicate the success as the rival bosses did.
We are certainly happy with the way things have gone so far, even though it is still in the early stages. However, there is a long way to go before we can consistently challenge heavyweights like Manchester City, Chelsea and the Merseyside club. It is good to see a rival legend acknowledge the improvements, but we do not need the added pressure.
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Klopp took a modest Liverpool squad to a European final in a short time while Tuchel won the Champions League in his first season. Can Rangnick replicate that? Only time will tell.
Some changes or additions are necessary for the squad in terms of personnel, and we also need to look into the management of the club. Once things are stable on and off the pitch, we can come back firing and challenge for trophies on all fronts like we used to under Sir Alex Ferguson.