Ralf Rangnick struggled to live up to expectations in the Premier League, but he's exceeding them and then some with Austria at Euro 2024.
Rangnick, 65, initially joined Manchester United as interim manager following the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in late 2021 with the expectation being that he would then move into a two-year consultancy role and help the club decide on a new manager at the end of his stint in the dugout.
Unfortunately, Rangnick was unable to inspire a turnaround in United's fortunes on the pitch as they endured a hugely disappointing second half of the season. Not only did the chastening experience damage Rangnick's reputation, it then emerged that instead of being given a prominent role in the process to appoint a new head coach, he was instead only given a limited say in the matter, per a report at the time from The National.
After being stripped of responsibility at Old Trafford, Rangnick was allowed to leave early after being approached by the Austria national team - and he hasn't looked back since.
With his stock arguably at an all-time low, Rangnick has rebuilt his reputation after encountering early turbulence in the role. After finding form prior to the Euros, Austria were then pooled in one of the tougher groups alongside France, the Netherlands and Poland.
But they have responded admirably since narrowly lost their Group D opener against France earlier this month. A win against Poland gave them a fighting chance of qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams in the tournament. A statement 3-2 victory over the Dutch in the final round of group fixtures would then ensure that they would head into the knockout stage as group winners ahead of nations with far superior reputations.
Rangnick's men have now emerged as dark horses in a tournament which, to date, has yet to bear witness to one all-conquering team. A deep run into the competition would arguably even enhance the reputation which Rangnick has managed to rebuild in earnest over the past two years since swapping the trials and tribulations of Old Trafford for the international stage.
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AFP via Getty Images)'The Godfather of Gegenpressing' is keeping his feet firmly on the ground, though, despite Austria's impressive run. “To finish top of the group then, that is incredible,” Rangnick said modestly after they beat the Dutch in a thrilling finale.
“The probability of us winning here and France not winning, if you had a bet you would be a very rich man or woman. We got rewarded for this courageous and energetic performance.”
If Rangnick is embracing Austria's newly earned dark horse status, he's keeping it under wraps. He added: “I have said months ago, I don’t think it is very probable to win the Euros. If someone asked me if I can completely rule it out, it is still not very likely. The lads want to go as far as possible.”
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