Daily Bits and Bobs

Next Arsenal manager details leaked? The end of backward passing if it’s true…

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

We knew this would happen from the very day Arsene Wenger announced he was leaving at the end of the season. Every man and his dog are being linked to replace him, well, not everyone but you know what I mean. Allegri, Henry, Arteta, Vieira, Enrique and Ancelotti are just a few from the list although the latter is widely tipped to take the Italy job.

Yesterday evening though, a surprise candidate was added to that list and that’s RB Leipzig Sporting Director of Football, Ralf Rangnick. Having no idea who he is or what his managerial credentials are, whilst wondering why the club would be interested in appointing a DOF as Arsenal manager, off to Google I went.

His managerial career:

The 56-year-old coach has taken charge of, among others, Stuttgart and Hannover 96, but he enjoyed his greatest success with Hoffenheim. Rangnick won back-to-back promotions with the Baden-Württemberg club, taking them from the third tier to the Bundesliga, before establishing them as a top-flight side.

A move Schalke followed in March 2011 and within two months, he had led the club to the Champions League semi-finals, where they were eliminated by Manchester United.

He resigned four months later citing exhaustion. In June of the following year, he became sporting director at Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig.

In May 2015, Rangnick took managerial charge of RB Leipzig and won promotion to the Bundesliga. He has since moved back upstairs and been replaced by Ralph Hasenhuttl.

What struck me was his match winning percentage over all the clubs he’s managed and it’s not that impressive at less than 50%. Old Red Nose had a winning ratio of 62%, Conte, Mourinho and Guardiola are slightly higher but considering how many years Fergie was in his job, that’s a good return. Arsene Wenger has a winning percentage in the high fifties, boosted heavily no doubt by his early success and the invincible season but nevertheless, credit where it’s due.

But what do stats mean really because a winning percentage runs deeper than just winning doesn’t it? The club a manager is at, the resources he has at his disposal, finances, club attraction, etc etc, the list goes on and I doubt any of the clubs Rangnick has managed have had much within that list.

I’m sure I’d be right in suggesting that none of the clubs will have had the attraction which a London club will have, certainly not one steeped in history as Arsenal are. They won’t have had the kind of money Arsene Wenger has had to spend either nor would they have attracted the kind of players a club like ours has attracted. Give him all of that and who knows where he might take us.

The German is well thought of, that’s according to those who are writing about him this morning.

Sky Sports:

“Ralf is the perfect fit. He’s a huge presence, he’s a club builder, he plays a modern style of football. He has the gravitas to take on a job like Arsenal,” the source said.

Apparently, FA’s technical director Dan Ashworth considered him for England after Allardyce was sacked. Instead they went for Southgate. Fools.

His playing style, well this is from the horses mouth during an interview with Die Welt in 2013:

“Aggressive forward defending and pressing. Playing in private possession and directly to the front, lateral and back passes are rather not so much in demand.

“We want to draw a common thread between the two clubs. The aim is to develop teams no soloists.”

Jens Lehmann is his mate apparently, as is Per Mertesacker and Sven Mislintat.

Former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique remains favourite with the bookmakers to replace Wenger, with other candidates including former Arsenal captains Patrick Vieira and Mikel Arteta behind him, but my money is heading towards Ralf. As a player, he was a defensive midfielder.

That’s got your attention hasn’t it?

rico

32 thoughts on “Next Arsenal manager details leaked? The end of backward passing if it’s true…”

  1. Wavy says:

    Morning al and Rico.
    The post today is another can opening one, care of the media, of course!

    The appointment of Rangnick would be typically ‘left field’ arsenal. A sort of unknown with some credentials, a little like his predecessor. I expect he may prove to be a fairly good replacement, I mean he shares the same nickname, ‘TheProfessor’, so we shall at least have a little continuity!

    My choice, for what it’s worth remains Allegri. I think he ticks all the boxes, as for the German, who can say?

    Blue skies here, now, rain later…..well that will make a refreshing change!! Sick of this weather. I blame Brexit.

  3. allezkev says:

    Morning Rico, morning all, even if Arsenal know who they want and a deal has been struck, the club won’t announce it yet out of respect to the current manager.

    This will be the first managerial appointment in the social media age, so despite what I wrote above, I expect the name of the next manager will be common knowledge before the end of the season. But not for a few more weeks.

  5. allezkev says:

    Hmm, yeah Rico, good point there.

    I see that our U18’s got humiliated 9-0 by Tottenham, albeit with a weakened team.
    Arsenal actually beat Tottenham 6-0 earlier in the season, so why were we so poor?
    Is it a reflection of the culture of the club and the complete lack of defensive discipline that seems to run through it?
    If you are getting hammered, then change tack, stay more solid and try damage limitation, but when Arsenal get a tonking it’s just a complete mess.

  6. rico says:

    Either way Kev, it won’t be long. The club will want to make ST’s are bought so I guess they’ll announce him before they go on sale..

    Yes, not a good night for the under 18’s..

  7. Billboy says:

    Good morning all. Interesting Rico. Regarding his win ratio we should also take into account the fact that he has frequently moved teams up to higher divisions. Each time this happens there would be a little time required to adjust to the higher level. This would probably affect the win ratio. Wenger took over a team that had finished 5th in the top flight (I think) the season before and, as we know, inherited a solid defence so maybe his job was a bit easier. If the resume in your article formed the basis of his cv, I would be asking a couple of questions at interview: Why did he really leave Schalke after only six apparently successful months and Why was he moved upstairs at RB Liepzig so quickly after winning promotion?
    I’m with Wavy. Let’s get Allegri.

  11. Wavy says:

    It will all come tumbling out over the next few weeks. There’s nothing worse than a lover scorned. The love soon turns to dislike, loathing and eventually hatred. And, whilst revenge is sweet it is always a dish that should be served up cold. A few weeks on and we will know all the filth, I think!

    Probably to shut the old chap up the club will ‘leak’ the name of the new man in charge!

    You’ve got to admit it’s caught the imagination of the fans and given them something to talk about. Can’t be bad eh?

  12. BT62 Gooner says:

    Rico, i think R. Rangnick was responsible for the style of play at both Salzburg and Leipzig as Red Bull used his blueprint across both clubs.

    He was Sporting Director at both clubs at the same time.

    Billiboy, he was only manager at Leipzig as a stop gap because they couldn’t find a new manager.

  14. rico says:

    Hi Bt, thanks re that. Wouldn’t be a bad appointment then? Although not perhaps the big name many of us would like to see..

  16. Meerkat says:

    Simeone or Enrique. Oh, or Rafa.

    Let’s hope we can get through the two AM games, and get either Marseille or Salzburg in the final.
    I’d fancy us against those two if we have everyone fit.
    They may have been inspired by Mo Salah, Fernandinho, et al last night.
    Come on you goonettes!

  17. Le Coq Monster says:

    Afternoon all and thank you Rico.

    I think we all like a big name manager,but as has been proved in the past unknowns make ( for some unkown reason) better managers than a lot of players who were world class as players !
    Ferguson wasn`t the greatest player far from it and did anyone know or even heard of Klopp as a player ?…………….Mourinho was Bobby Robsons interpretator wasn`t he ? and probably a pub standard player…………….I wont list them but look at the top class players who never made decent managers …………our world cup winning capatin and hattrick hero, both failed !
    Pep was a decent player, but world class ?……………..I never heard of him before he was manager !
    I shall imagine you all know of some yourselves………..

    Wouldn`t look too much into the Spud drubbing most of the first choice players were being rested for the FA Youth Cup Final games.

  19. potter says:

    Never heard of Pep ? He was the fulcrum of Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona team . Guardiola was a creative and technically gifted midfielder who usually played in a deep-lying playmaking role as a defensive midfielder.
    He spent the majority of his career with Barcelona, forming a part of Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team” that won the club’s first European Cup in 1992, and four successive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994. He later captained the team from 1997 to 2001.
    According to Wiki he also had 47 caps for Spain . He was one of the best midfielders of his time and certainly the inspiration behind Xavi ,and later on Cesc Fabregas .I remember seeing him play :- A pleasure to watch.
    We could do with a player of his class right now.

  20. Kk says:

    April 25, 2018    14:46:16

    Ian Wright : “That’s why I believe if Arsenal do get the right man, we will see results on the pitch change very quickly, because if rumours are to be believed, they’re not training as hard as the likes of Liverpool or Man City, in respects to the coaching side.”

  22. Le Coq Monster says:

    Potter I bow to you superior knowledge of Spanish footballers !…………………..in 1992 I probably didn`t have SKY or internet to watch foreign football and even though I have it today I still hardly watch foreign football, infact I rarely watch any other team unless they are playing Arsenal, but no, i still would have not heard of Mr Guardiola in 1992………..to me he`s a famous manager now more than the famous footballer you have so kindly informed me of !…………………………I`d rather him as a manager than a player, although I do recall something about him wanting to play for Arsene Wenger or was it Wenger wanting him ?

    🙂

  23. rico says:

    Oxlade-Chamberlain ruled out of the World Cup after getting injured last night. What rotten fortune and just as he was getting to level some of thought he would.. Big miss for England..

  24. Le Coq Monster says:

    Mind you, he couldn`t have been that great a player if he only got 47 caps for Spain when they weren`t that good, Cesc has got 110 caps and counting !…………………..meaning Cesc will make a twice as good manager !
    😆

    Cesc In !

  25. Le Coq Monster says:

    I read somewhere the other day that Cesc would like to coach at Arsenal ………………………….he probably knows Peps secrets as much as Arteta !……………………….player manager !…………………………genius !……………………hahaha

  31. rico says:

    I’m not fussed anymore whether he jumped, was pushed, sacked, resigned, you name it, it matters not. He’s leaving and that’s the main thing.

    Morning all.

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