After long speculation and deliberation, Manchester United finally have one of the best managers in the market after the board chose to relieve Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of his duty in November.
Though, the German tactician is widely known for his team style of play called “GenGen Pressing style” which is much seen in Klopp’s Liverpool and Tuchel’s Chelsea in England, his style of play has become predominantly adopted in German football as the likes of Hansi Flick, and Julian Nagelsman’s teams are both examples.
The 63-year-old German tactician will be hoping to do the unthinkable within the short period he has to work with the Red Devils and get them competing for the top four in the current Premier League campaign which is set to run to May 2022.
However, with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City running riot at the moment, it’s hard to see any of these three teams not making the top four, even though the three teams will be having their player shipped off to the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the New Year.
Beyond these three teams, we have the resurgent Arsenal who are finally looking like a team with purpose, while West Ham United retain their impressive run of form since last season intact despite losing to the Gunners this week.
There is one spot available to battle for, and the likes of Spurs, United, Arsenal, and West Ham will all be competing with each other, looking to finish in the final Champions League spot come May.
However, by the virtue of the last two Premier League games, Manchester United did not allow Crystal Palace to maintain their composure as United ran away with the game but their narrow win against Norwich showed the new United Manager exactly what his team needs to improve.
Currently sitting in the fourth position are West Ham who is just a point ahead of the Old Trafford outfit after matchday sixteen, but it’s another thing entirely for the London-based side to maintain their high standard without dropping too many points in the remaining twenty-two league games.
West Ham are not a strong side beyond their starting eleven – though the Scottish tactician Moyes is doing working wonders with the London club, but unlike West Ham, Wolves and Spurs are not quite yet looking like challengers for the last Champions League spot.
With Antonio Conte in charge, Spurs are now looking like a team about to go on a long run with a newfound attitude under the guidance and winning mentality of the Italian tactician despite COVID postponements hampering their progress.
They are only two points behind Manchester United, despite playing two games less, however, Conte’s side is a lopsided team in the middle of the park and in the full-back positions which are crucial to Conte’s defensive-attacking transitions.
However, with Manchester United new appointment, there is a breath of fresh air as every player is quite clear with their agenda and end goal expected at the end of the season. Although the new coach has never worked in the Premier League, his impressive CV at Stuttgart and Leipzig is enough to convince the United’s board of his importance to their goal.
Beyond making United the club they once were in the Sir Alex Ferguson era, Rangnick will have to at least make the top four and surprisingly after his last two Premier League matches, the German tactician has successfully dragged United to just one point behind West Ham United.
However, there is not much time left for the United to improve and the chances of United qualifying for 2022/2023 Champions League is getting slimmer by the day during this COVID ravaged season.
Although, no one could have predicted that United would be competing for the top four after many pundits have chosen them to challenge Liverpool and City for the title. But with Chelsea’s dominance and counter pressing style, United are now behind the top three clubs according to the 2021/2022 Premier League sports picks at +15000 odds, which is closely followed by Spurs at +25000 odds
The beginning of Rangnick’s Manchester United tenure is now looking quite similar to Ole’s time when he was first recruited by the United as an interim manager – but with consistency and hard work, Ole’s team made it to the top four by the last day of the season.
The inconsistency of the other teams competing for the top four, and with Spurs’ ongoing COVID issues, Manchester United are looking favorites to make the last spot for the Champions League.
There is still a lot of games to come as the season unfolds, but with the right attitude Manchester United and with the resurgence of Jadon Sancho, and the return to form of Marcos Rashford, United now have enough firepower under the guidance of Rangnick to make a nuisance of themselves and finish in the top four come next May.
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