5 tactical changes Manchester United will undergo under Ralf Rangnick

Ralf Rangnick is expected to make Manchester United tactically sound
Ralf Rangnick is expected to make Manchester United tactically sound

#3 Less reliant on crosses

Manchester United v Fulham - Premier League
Manchester United v Fulham - Premier League

Manchester United under Ralf Rangnick will certainly be a team with different avenues to score. With the German inclined to set his teams to attack more centrally, the unpredictability of United's game play will surely increase.

The Red Devils have often been criticized for being too monotonous with their approach. They have used their wide players to provide crosses on a regular basis without adding a new dimension to their game-style. This has made it easier for the opposition to defend and grind out results.

Ralf Rangnick's teams are known to be unpredictable with their attacking approach. A long ball from the back could instigate an attack and so could a midfielder by creating it in the final third.

The German uses his full-backs to act as wingers when his wide players go central, making it difficult for opposition defenders to mark and sustain the attack. With him as their manager, Manchester United will be a dynamic team in attack.


#2 Direct football

Manchester United v Atalanta: Group F - UEFA Champions League
Manchester United v Atalanta: Group F - UEFA Champions League

Manchester United fans were habituated to have witnessed direct and attacking football from their club under the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson. Ever since the Scotsman retired, United's game-play has certainly not been close to as free-flowing it used to be.

Under interim manager Ralf Rangnick that directness is very likely to be back. The German dislikes his players making sideways or back passes. Manchester United's players have been guilty of making a lot of passes back to the defenders or to the players on the side.

This will be totally eliminated under the reign of Ralf Rangnick. He will instigate his players to make long passes where his strikers will be waiting to make a run on the shoulder of the opposition defense. He definitely encourages his players to be more creative and bold, which is much needed at Manchester United this season.


#1 Gegenpressing

The Professor is the creator of Gegenpressing
The Professor is the creator of Gegenpressing

Ralf Rangnick is the inventor of the tactic known as 'Gegenpressing'. The strategy involves pressing the opposition as soon as the ball is lost from possession, even if it means pressing intensely in the opposition's half.

One of the teams best executing this tactic is Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool. The former Dortmund manager was inspired by Ralf Rangnick's Hoffenheim when they beat the Black and Yellows 4-1 in 2008.

Since then, Klopp has been an effective user of Gegenpressing and we know how effective it has been for Liverpool over the past few seasons.

Manchester United will be using the same system to win the ball back and create pressure on the opposition. The Red Devils are not the best pressers in the Premier League but under Ralf Rangnick that is bound to change.

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