Two German managers, Ralf Rangnick and Jurgen Klopp, in charge of two of the most successful English clubs, Liverpool and Manchester United, go head-to-head on Tuesday night as in the massive North-West derby of England.
Mentor vs Apprentice: Ralf Rangnick and Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will meet his master Ralf Rangnick, who have shared spoils with and against each other many times.
Ralf Ranginck has been an influential figure in Klopp's managerial career ever since Klopp burgeoned into one of the finest managers in Europe.
The current Man United manager carried his philosophy to many teams and guided them to the big leagues. Rangnick managed small European clubs during his managerial time and led Schalke to the Champions League semi-final in 2011.
Under his belt, many German clubs were promoted to Bundesliga as his philosophy was fruitful for many teams.
The Inventor of Gegenpressing
His successful years with clubs saw him become the best manager of German football, and he was later regarded as the “godfather” of modern German football. He was the one who developed gegenpressing and has been using the high-octane approach since 1980.
Rangnick was the originator of heavy metal football, he also influenced many German coaches to translate the approach into overseas leagues, and very few were successful in doing so.
And one of them was Jurgen Klopp. Ralf Rangnick's team Hoffenheim demolished Klopp’s Dortmund 4-1 in 2008 and later, Klopp would ask Rangnick for his style and philosophy.
Rangnick said in an interview back then, “My Hoffenheim team played against Jurgen’s Borussia Dortmund back in 2008. We beat them 4-1, and Jurgen (below) said a week later, before his next game, that our style was exactly the kind of football that he wanted to play with Dortmund."
“Within two years, he had transformed the team and had them playing with that style of play – and, eventually, there came success. They won two consecutive Bundesliga titles – in 2011 and 2012 – as well as the German Cup in 2012.”
“The style we both like is a very proactive kind of football. It’s high-pressing, counter-pressing football with fast, proactive counter-attacking.”
Liverpool’s boss adopted his system and exploded into one of the admirable managers, tasting unprecedented success at Dortmund and Liverpool.
Klopp became one of the most sought after managers in Europe with his style of play as he turned the fortunes of precarious Liverpool and successfully translated his method of play into the Premier League.
The Reds are now one of the most dominating sides in Europe and are eyeing a quadruple after winning Carabao Cup against Chelsea, and on Sunday, they reached FA Cup final with a narrow win over Manchester City.
After completing his stint at RB Leipzig, Rangnick took over as director of football at Leipzig and Lokomotiv Moscow before getting a call from Manchester United for an interim manager, who were in shambles, and when the news aired, many believed he would take United out of the quicksand pit.
But so far he has failed miserably as many reports stated the players failed to adapt to his style and there were cold wars between players in dressing room, and the club is experiencing adversity currently.
So far, Ralf Rangnick has been in the dugout for United’s 18 games, where his team has won nine, drawn six and lost three games. His winning % at Manchester United is 43%, his one of the worst winning per cent since his VfB Stuttgart II days.
While Klopp’s Liverpool are competing for three trophies now, and if they achieve this feat, they will become one of the first English clubs to have won quadruple.
But for now, the master and apprentice will meet once again after 14 years in Premier League as Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool side will host Ralf Rangnick's struggling Manchester United on Tuesday at 8 pm.
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