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Manchester United will usher in a new era under new interim manager Ralf Rangnick as they host Crystal Palace at Old Trafford today. The dreary last days of Solskjaer's reign remain fresh in our memories. But Michael Carrick's short stay at the top has helped restore a modicum of order back at the club.
Appointing Ralf Rangnick as interim manager definitely looks like a serious footballing decision. Rangnick is credited with pioneering the gegenpressing style of football which has been popularized in the Premier League by Jurgen Klopp.
Rangnick is one of the most intelligent tacticians in the world and appointing him seems to be a step in the right direction for Manchester United. But it won't be easy for the United players to get used to a new system in a short time.
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Even then, Rangnick will try to kickstart the process step by step starting with today's clash against Crystal Palace. Without further ado, let's take a look at five things to expect from Ralf Rangnick's first game in charge of Manchester United.
#5 Manchester United will press high up the pitch
While Michael Carrick did deny Rangnick's influence in the tactics used in the last couple of games, he seems to have at least borrowed a leaf out of the German's book. Manchester United pressed high and did a fairly decent job against Arsenal on Thursday night.
Two of their goals were scored after winning the ball high up the pitch. That's exactly what Rangnick wants his teams to do. The Red Devils definitely have players who can hound the opposition relentlessly. But it remains to be seen how adept they will be at cutting passing lanes and pressing as a unit from the get go.
Even though they might not start off being too good at it, Rangnick's United are expected to press Crystal Palace high up the pitch.
#4 Ralf Rangnick is likely to stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation
Ralf Rangnick has used the 4-2-2-2 and 4-2-3-1 formations interchangeably at his former clubs. With the personnel that Manchester United currently have, it will be difficult to implement the 4-2-2-2 setup.
United would need full-backs who are experts at maintaining width and Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are poor at that. In the 4-2-2-2 setup, Ralf Rangnick would need two holding midfielders and two attacking midfielders in front of them.
These attacking midfielders won't be looking to provide width for the side. Their primary job will be to win possession back by pressing opponents in the center of the pitch. This would mean a system overhaul and Ralf Rangnick is unlikely to disrupt the team's flow at such an early stage.
As a result, the new Manchester United manager will stick to the 4-2-3-1 that his players are familiar with.
#3 Changes in Manchester United lineup
In this Manchester United side, two players who are well suited to playing in high pressing sides are Donny van de Beek and Jadon Sancho. But Van de Beek doesn't have the defensive discipline of Scott McTominay and thus McFred is likely to start at the base of midfield once again.
However, it won't stay that way for too long if McTominay continues to play a lot of sidewards or backwards passes. United have dynamic forwards like Edinson Cavani, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Jesse Lingard who have plenty of stamina.
Mason Greenwood might be introduced as a substitute to lead the line alongside Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford against Crystal Palace.
#2 Less backwards or sideways passing
A lot of Manchester United players have a tendency to play it safe. It's quite understandable as players tend not to take risks when they are low on confidence. A lot of these Manchester United players have seen better days and they are aware of the intense scrutiny that comes with every mistake they make.
But Rangnick is a proponent of adventurous football. He told Coaches Voice:
'We are not we are not big fans of square and back passes. The goalkeeper should have the fewest contacts, because in every league on the world in the world, the goalkeeper is not the best player in on the pitch. So for that very reason he should not have the highest amount of context.'
So the full-backs and the defensive midfielders will need to up their passing game. In order to accomplish this, players will need to settle down in the new system. They also need to learn how to offer support to their teammates who are in possession from advanced positions.
It will take some time but this is definitely something that Rangnick will try to implement from the get go.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo's role
There has already been a lot of talk about Cristiano Ronaldo's role in Ralf Rangnick's Manchester United side. Ronaldo bagged a brace as Manchester United picked up a 3-2 win over Arsenal.
Rangnick, who was in the crowd, revealed during his first press conference as Manchester United manager that he was impressed with Ronaldo.
"You always have to adapt your style or your idea of football to the players you have available, not vice versa.
"Having seen Cristiano yesterday in the second half at the age of 36, an amazing top professional. At his age, I've never seen a player who is still that physically fit. He's still a player who can easily make the difference. So yes, it's about how we can develop the whole team, not only Cristiano.
"We play in the most competitive league in the world, so we need all the players on board. What I saw from Cristiano yesterday, he is more than willing to do that, to put his input into the team. His teammates will have to do the same."
Ronaldo's technical ability will come in handy higher up the pitch. He will be asked to press and the Portuguese international might not play the entire 90 mins very regularly from now on. But he is likely to remain the primary goalscorer for his side.
