Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked as Manchester United manager on 21st November 2021, a month short of his 3 year anniversary of being appointed and a day after a shock 4-1 defeat to Watford. The loss capped off an awful run of form, which included a 4-2 loss to Leicester, a 5-0 loss to Liverpool at home and a 2-0 (it could have been more) loss to Man City at home. United were left in a tough dilemma, having only 17 points from a possible 36, one of their worst starts to a Premier League season. Solskjaer's sacking came right after the November International Break, which would have been a perfect time to part ways and begin the search for a new manager, giving them 2 weeks to find a suitable replacement.
The incompetence of the board left the club in limbo as United had 2 days before their next game, a crucial game in the Champions League against Villarreal. A win was crucial to United's Champions League campaign, as it would guarantee a spot in the knockout rounds. Michael Carrick, Solskjaer's assistant coach, stepped up to the plate and acted as interim manager not only for the Villarreal game, but for heavyweight clashes against Chelsea and Arsenal. United won 2-0, drew 1-1 and won 3-2 in these games, and Carrick resigned.
It was a great run of form where United played a more exciting brand of football but Carrick said he knew himself that he would leave the club as soon as they found an interim manager, due to his loyalty to Solskjaer.
Titled by many as 'The Godfather of German Football', Ralf Rangnick was appointed as Manchester United Interim manager on the eve of the Arsenal game, though he didn't take charge just yet. He is well-known for popularising the gegenpress (counter press) in German football, which slowly spread into European football. He is a football professor and has taught many of the sucessful coaches of today, such as Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel.
He came in with a plan to transform this United team into one that could successfully perform the gegenpress and attack quickly, even saying that he 'doesn't like sideways or backwards passes'. It would be a drastic change from United performances earlier in the season, as games against Man City and Liverpool showed that United's most played passes were between their back four.
His first game was against Crystal Palace and United lined up in what looked like a 4-2-2-2, a change from the 4-3-3 that Solskjaer envisioned with this United team. United pressed from the go, managing to dispossess Palace constantly as they tried to play out. Chances were being created, but it was a day where the attackers just couldn't supply the finish. It was the first time in a long time where United were in control for the majority of the game, Palace had a couple of chances but they failed to take any of them.
Then, in the 77th minute, United grabbed the winner. Greenwood received the ball in the box from Dalot, and he controlled it before laying it off to the edge of the box for...Fred? A man not reknowned for his shooting, but instead his calamities and occasional sloppiness, he wrapped his weaker right foot around the ball and it nestled into the top corner. It was the least United deserved and the game was won by the most unlikely of goalscorers.
United had won a Premier League game 1-0 at Old Trafford, it was their first clean sheet at home in all competitions since April, and only their second home league win since the beginning of September. The defence looked solid, with Telles and Dalot putting in fantastic performances despite technically being the club's second choice full-backs. The result in the end was huge for United and Rangnick, and it clearly showed the direction he wants to take the club in.
United won the ball back 8 times in the final third over the course of the game, the most they have done since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. That stat alone shows how Rangnick is aiming to set this United team up. Yes, they struggled to maintain the pressure and high intensity that their new manager is aiming for, but it is still early days in his tenure, and seeing early signs like this is can only be promising for Red Devils fans.
Their upcoming run of games are a chance for players to learn and adapt to Rangnick's philosophy of football, as they now don't face a 'Big 6' side until March. United's next 3 fixtures are against Norwich (A), Brentford (A) and Brighton (H).
Comments