Category: European Football

Rangnick explains how Ronaldo fits into his Man Utd plans and why he turned down Chelsea, Haaland transfer bonus talk & more

The Red Devils’ new interim manager has been discussing the Portuguese star’s role in his team

Ralf Rangnick has officially taken charge at Manchester United, with the interim boss at Old Trafford revealing how Cristiano Ronaldo figures in his plans and how foundations for long-term success will be put in place.

The German has been cleared to inherit the reins from caretaker coach Michael Carrick, who is walking away completely after three games at the helm, with a visa finally granted.

There is much for Rangnick to do in the wake of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dismissal, particularly how Ronaldo will fit into his plans.

What has been said?

Ronaldo was dropped to the bench by Carrick for the trip to Chelsea, but returned to the United starting XI with a bang as he passed the 800 goal mark for his career in a thrilling 3-2 victory over Arsenal.

Rangnick was in attendance for that game and said at his introductory press conference: ”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 team-mates will have to do the same.”

Why turned down Chelsea?

Ralf Rangnick has confirmed that Chelsea offered him the chance to take over as interim manager last season, before they settled on Thomas Tuchel as Frank Lampard’s permanent replacement.

Rangnick has since been snapped up by Manchester United on a temporary basis, taking over until the end of the season as head coach before he moves into an advisory role for a further two years.

After red tape delayed his appearance on the touchline – the German was forced to watch United’s victory over Arsenal on Thursday from the stands – he will finally be in the dugout for his new side’s meeting with Crystal Palace.

Speaking before that game, Rangnick explained why he turned down a Premier League move with Chelsea before being tempted to England by the Red Devils’ offer.

“When Chelsea contacted me last year, they only spoke about the option to become interim manager for four months, without any prospective to work in the long term together,” he said.

“Now here we are talking about six-and-a-half months, so we only have one third of the games played in the Premier League.

“We have also agreed on a two-year advisory role after those six-and-a-half months. In the end, to be honest, if a club like Manchester United contacts you for such a role you cannot possibly turn it down.”

Rangnick arrives at Old Trafford with United lagging behind his former suitors. The Red Devils currently sit in seventh, 12 points behind leaders Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table.

Will additions be made?

Rangnick has arrived in England with another transfer window fast approaching, but claims to have no recruitment plans in place yet.

He said when asked about possible additions in January: “We haven’t spoken about new players.

“Now is the time to get to know the current squad in detail, the squad is definitely not too small. There are enough players.

“Maybe after Christmas, there will be a time to talk about possible transfers in the winter. In my experience, winter is not the time for sustainable transfers. It will be difficult in the winter.”

There have been suggestions that United will look to use Rangnick’s presence as a bargaining chip to prise Erling Haaland away from Borussia Dortmund, with the 63-year-old having previously spent time working with the Norwegian striker as sporting director at Red Bull Salzburg.

Bonuses are said to be up for grabs if such a deal can be put in place, but Rangnick has laughed off those reports.

He said: “£10 million [$13m] for Haaland, £10m for [Kylian] Mbappe, £10m for [Robert] Lewandowski and £10m for [Joshua] Kimmich.

“This is nonsense. There is no such clause in my contract. There is little point in speculating over new players. I know what kind of player he is, but in the meantime, the whole world has realised how good the player is.

“The offensive players we have here, we have so many top players in the offensive department that we don’t need to speak about any other player.”

How long will Rangnick stay?

For now, Rangnick is eager to keep focus on the present as he has only signed up to six months in the dugout before shifting into an advisory role.

He said of his position: “The people who I’ve spoken with, they have been very clear that it is a six-month role. We have never spoken about what will happen in the summer.

“If they will speak about me with that, we will see. if they ask me about my opinion, I might make the same recommendation that I did at RB Leipzig twice, that it might be better to work with me for one year.

“It’s not unusual that after a long, successful spell, the club needs to find a new pathway. The club has had no continuity in signing new players and sticking to the DNA of the club.

“In the future, the board members and my self have the same opinion. It’s important not to have many changes in management.”

Further reading

‘Factos 👀👍’ – Cristiano Ronaldo Comments On A Post Saying Messi Robbed The Ballon d’Or

Carrick ends 15-year Man Utd stay as interim boss announced departure following Arsenal victory

Will Chelsea still be at the top of the EPL table by January 2022? 

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‘Factos’ – Cristiano Ronaldo Comments On A Post Saying Messi Robbed The Ballon d’Or

On Monday, footballer Lionel Messi was awarded his seventh Ballon d’Or in Paris.

The Paris Saint-Germain star was given the prestigious French football award at the 65th annual ceremony, but his rival Ronaldo seemingly thinks that he deserved it more.

When a fan account ranted about how Ronaldo was robbed of the Ballon d’Or this week, the footballer himself showed his agreement in the comments.

FAN CLAIMS RONALDO DESERVED BALLON D’OR

A popular Instagram Ronaldo fan account called @cr7.o_lendario, who has 325,000 followers, took to Instagram to post their reaction to Messi winning the Ballon d’Or.

First, they listed Ronaldo’s many achievements this year before saying: “Regardless of his age, [Ronaldo] is a guy who continues to perform miracles and impresses the world most often.”

He then went on to say that Ronaldo was robbed and deserved the Ballon D’Or over Messi, writing:

“Cristiano was way better, and the prize goes to who? For Messi, who only won Copa do Ei for Barcelona, hasn’t scored a goal against Real Madrid since Cristiano left and missed in the big games of the season.”

The Instagram user continued to list Messi’s lack of achievements before saying:

“For Ronaldo to win this award he has to be 300% unquestionable. It’s not use scoring the most beautiful goal of the the year, being champion of everything for a club, top scorer of everything and scoring a hat-trick in the world cup.”

“With Messi, it’s the opposite. He can have a low season, way down, they’ll always find a way to favour him and give him the award. Steal. Dirt. Shame. It’s just unfortunate,” he concluded before adding:

“Those who are intelligent enough know who deserves the truth. Receiving awards without deserving it, is false happiness, without pride. Regardless of those awards, C27 will always be the best in history.”

RONALDO COMMENTS ‘FACTOS’

Ronaldo himself read the fan’s Instagram post and decided to show his support in the comments.

He commented the word “Factos” alongside a thumbs up and eyes emoji, which means “facts” in Spanish and Portuguese.

The Manchester United footballer was seemingly saying that he agrees that he deserved the Ballon d’Or, and the comment was a sly dig at his rival Messi.

RONALDO SAYS WINNING BALLON D’OR AWARDS ISN’T HIS AMBITION

Despite commenting “Factos” and claiming he deserved the Ballon d’Or awards, Ronaldo recently revealed that winning more Ballon d’Ors isn’t his only ambition.

On Friday, days before the Ballon d’Or ceremony, French editor Pascal Ferre told the New York Times: “Ronaldo has only one ambition, and that is to retire with more Ballons d’Or than Messi – and I know that because he has told me.”

Ronaldo then slammed his claims on Instagram, writing: “Pascal Ferre lied, he used my name to promote himself and to promote the publication he works for.”

“It is unacceptable that the person responsible for awarding such a prestigious prize could lie in this way, in absolute disrespect for someone who has always respected France Football and the Ballon d’Or,” he continued.

“The biggest ambition of my career is to win national and international titles for the clubs I represent and for the national team in my country. The biggest ambition of my career is to leave my name written in golden letters in the history of world football.”

Watford v Chelsea and Southampton v Leicester delayed after fan medical emergencies

A supporter had to be given emergency treatment at Vicarage Road, with another fan later stricken at St. Mary’s

A fan is now stable and being treated in hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during Chelsea’s game at Watford on Wednesday, with the game delayed while they were treated in the stands at Vicarage Road.

Later on the same evening, Leicester’s match at Southampton was also delayed due to a medical emergency in the stands at half-time.

After 13 minutes at Vicarage Road, Chelsea and Watford’s players were directed to their dressing rooms due to a medical emergency in the crowd. The game was delayed for around 30 minutes before it resumed following the news that the fan had been taken to hospital.

What happened?

During a stoppage in play, several players and fans alerted the referee and medical officials of a developing incident in the stands.

A fan had suffered cardiac arrest in the upper tier of the Graham Taylor Stand, with medical officials rushing to attend.

After a delay, the fan was taken off on a stretcher, with Watford saying on Twitter that the supporter had been stabilised.

“The players have returned to the field in preparation of play resuming,” the club said.

“Our thoughts are with the fan – who had a cardiac arrest but has now been stabilised – and all those affected. Thank you to the medical staff, players and fans for their quick response.”

Another medical emergency
Later on the same day, Leicester’s match against Southampton at St. Mary’s was also delayed due to a medical emergency in the stands.

This time, the incident took place at half-time with the second-half kick-off delayed.

“There will be a delay to kick-off for the second half due to a medical emergency in the stands,” read a tweet from Leicester City.

The match was delayed for around 15 minutes before it resumed.

A similar incident at St. James’ in October

The incident at Vicarage Road was reminiscent of another emergency with a fan that took place in October’s contest between Newcastle and Tottenham.

The play was temporarily stopped during the first half at St. James’ Park as a fan was given emergency treatment in the stands.

In that instance, the fan was stabilised and taken to hospital, with the game restarted after a delay of 20 minutes.

‘We stole three points’ – Chelsea boss Tuchel angry after ‘lucky win’ over Watford

The Blues escaped Vicarage Road with a 2-1 victory, but their manager was not happy after the game

Thomas Tuchel was far from pleased with his Chelsea side’s display despite their 2-1 win at Watford on Wednesday.

The Blues escaped Vicarage Road with all three points after Mason Mount’s first-half goal and Hakim Ziyech’s 72nd-minute winner, with the game delayed for 30 minutes in the first half after a fan suffered a cardiac arrest.

Tuchel said Chelsea were not adequately prepared for the game while calling the win “lucky” after they maintained their hold on first place in the Premier League.

What was said?

“That’s not us. We were absolutely not ready today for this match,” Tuchel told Amazon after the game.

“I missed maybe to find the right approach to make my team ready. We had the break due to very sad circumstances – hopefully the person is better.

“Even this break after the first 11 minutes did not change our approach. We did not cope with the pressure, with the first ball, second ball.

“We had a lot of changes but too many faults. It did not get better. The only thing we could do was hang in there and focus on the easy things. It was a lucky win.”

Concern over Chalobah injury

Tuchel also expressed his concern over Trevoh Chalobah, who was withdrawn after an hour with an injury.

“The most worried I am is about the injury for Trevoh Chalobah,” he said. “The doctor was on the pitch 20 times today it felt like. It’s a big loss from Trev. I’m a bit worried.”

Salah makes a mockery of Ballon d’Or ranking in Liverpool’s derby demolition of Everton

The Egyptian scored twice as the Reds ultimately ran riot at Goodison Park, triumphing 4-1 to pile pressure on their former boss Rafael Benitez.

Next time you hear someone says the form book goes out the window in a derby match, you can tell them to be quiet!

It certainly didn’t here. All of Everton’s pre-match fears were realized, as Liverpool showed them at yes, there are indeed levels to this game.

Another game, another masterclass from Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian scoring twice as his side recorded a 4-1 win at Goodison which could and should have been even more comprehensive.

He’s the seventh-best player in the world, according to the Ballon d’Or voting. Nice joke, maybe? If there’s anyone better than Salah right now, then they’re keeping themselves well-hidden.

That’s 19 goals in this season in all competitions, and the Christmas decorations have only just gone up.

He got 44 in his first, record-breaking year on Merseyside; playing like this, he really should smash that total this time around.

He was backed up ably here, in fairness. Jordan Henderson, Liverpool’s skipper, was magnificent, scoring the first goal and setting up the second. A captain’s performance, if ever there was one.

Diogo Jota rounded off the scoring, and with a goal of elite class too, and at that point the home fans began to stream for the exits.

“You’re gonna boo in a minute,” came the taunts from the away end. They were right. The final whistle drew a loud chorus from those who had punished themselves by staying.

In the director’s box Bill Kenwright, the Everton chairman, and Marcel Brands, the director of football, were berated by supporters. It was not a pretty sight, or sound.

“Get him f***ing out of this club,” yelled one fan, then two, then more. “Write this in your report,” protested another. “This club is a joke, from top to bottom.”

Liverpool fans loved it, of course. “Rafa’s at the wheel,” they sang, echoing their taunting of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford in October.

Solskjaer has been sacked since that humiliation at the hands of the Reds, and it would be a surprise, to say the least, if Rafa Benitez was not following him to the Job Centre soon.

His Everton side, now without a win in eight games, were simply no match for an opponent that was sharper, quicker, more controlled and blessed with far greater quality in every single department.

Liverpool led by two inside 19 minutes, and it could have been five. Joel Matip and Salah had already missed chances by the time Henderson steered them ahead on nine minutes, a sumptuous left-foot finish from Andy Robertson’s pull-back.

Salah made it 2-0, racing onto Henderson’s pass and opening up his body to finish sublimely past Jordan Pickford in front of the Gwladys Street.

Some Everton fans rose from their seats at that point, and you could understand why. Liverpool looked rampant.

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They let the hosts back in before half-time though, Demarai Gray left alone to beat Alisson from Richarlison’s fine pass. From nowhere, a lifeline. Goodison, at last, began to direct its passion in a positive manner. Their side, belatedly, began to press and harry and ask some questions.

Liverpool, though, had extra gears, and they used them ruthlessly after the break.

Nineteen minutes into the second half Seamus Coleman, the Everton captain, dallied on the ball on the halfway line and let in Salah, who simply ran away from the Irishman before slipping the ball past Pickford as if it were the easiest thing in the world. It was anything but.

Coleman beat the floor in frustration, as Salah celebrated in front of a jubilant away end, who let off a flare in delight.

There was more to come, Jota spinning sharply in the box to blast home high past Pickford 11 minutes from time, and had Liverpool been a little less charitable then the scoreline could have been even more embarrassing for Everton.

As it was, four will do, to go with the five they scored at Old Trafford earlier in the season.

These really are halcyon days for those Liverpool fans, some of whom invaded the pitch at the full-time whistle, hoping to nab one of their heroes’ shirts.

Nothing doing. Salah & Co made their way to the dressing room. Jurgen Klopp, grinning from ear to ear, delivered his trademark fist pumps; one, two, three.

His side, meanwhile, delivered their very own Fab Four.

A night to remember for the travelling Kop.

Messi wins historic SEVENTH Ballon d’Or; Chelsea awarded ‘Club of the Year’; Donnarumma gets Yashin Trophy; Lewandowski picks up the ‘Striker of the Year’; Putellas wins Women’s Ballon d’Or

Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi won the 2021 Ballon d’Or, his record-extending seventh player of the year award in his career. He beat out Bayern Munich and Poland forward Robert Lewandowski, who was the other top contender.

FC Barcelona star attacking midfielder Alexia Putellas won the women’s award, PSG goalkeeper Gigi Donnarumma was voted the best goalkeeper in the world, and another Barcelona player, 19-year-old Pedri, was named the best men’s Under-21 player in the world.

Robert Lewandowski was named the inaugural Striker of the Year as the top scorer for club and country, while Chelsea FC took home the Club of the Year with the most candidates across the Ballon d’Or awards.

LIONEL MESSI WINS HIS SEVENTH BALLON D’OR🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

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Lionel Messi has won an historic seventh Ballon d’Or after picking up the prestigious individual award at a ceremony in Paris.

The 34-year-old has now won the Ballon d’Or in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 and 2021, meaning he has lifted the prize handed to the best player in world football more times than any other male player in its history, two clear of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi beat out Robert Lewandowski who finished in second place and Chelsea midfielder Jorghino who was ranked third in the voting.

The forward added to his 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019 trophies after winning the Copa America for the first time with his country last July.

“It’s incredible to be here again. Two years ago I thought it was the last time. Winning the Copa America was key”, Messi said at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris.

Messi, who joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer from Barcelona during the summer, collected 613 points, with Bayern Munich’s Lewandowski, named best striker on Monday, getting 580.

Jorginho, who won the Champions League with Chelsea and the European Championship with Italy, ended up third on 460, ahead of France’s Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante in fourth and fifth places respectively.

Club of the year: Chelsea FC

2021 was a memorable one for Chelsea and they have been handed the award for the Club of the Year!

Of course, Thomas Tuchel’s team won the Champions League and are top of the Premier League while Emma Hayes’ side made the final of the Women’s Champions League last season.

N’Golo Kante: 5th in the Ballon d’Or

Jorginho: 3rd in the Ballon d’Or

Chelsea: 2021 Club of the Year

What a run for Chelsea!

Best Goalscorer Award

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Robert Lewandowski and the newly-created Striker of the Year award

Bayern Munich and Poland striker Lewandowski has won the Striker of the Year award! He enjoyed an excellent 2021, breaking Gerd Muller’s long-standing record for the most Bundesliga goals in a single season!

Yashin Trophy

Italy and PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has won the 2021 Yashin Trophy, beating out Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy who had been tipped for the award.

Donnarumma won the Best Player award at Euro 2020 and made the switch from AC Milan to the French capital in the summer.

Gianluigi Donnarumma beats out the likes of Edouard Mendy (2nd), Jan Oblak (3rd), Ederson (4th), Manuel Neuer (5th), Emiliano Martinez (6th).

Women’s Ballon d’Or

What an extraordinary year it’s been for Women’s Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, who is crowned the winner ahead of stars Jenni Hermoso, Sam Kerr and Vivianne Miedema.

Congratulations, Alexia!

Kopa Trophy

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Pedri has won the Kopa trophy handed to the best male player age 21 or under. It’s certainly true that the teenager had an incredible year for Barcelona and Spain!

Bukayo Saka came sixth in the voting with Mason Greenwood fifth and Jude Bellingham in second place!

2021 Kopa Trophy Ranking:

1 | Pedri
2 | Jude Bellingham
3 | Jamal Musiala
4 | Nuno Mendes
5 | Mason Greenwood
6 | Bukayo Saka
7 | Florian Wirtz
8 | Ryan Gravenberch
9 | Giovanni Reyna
9 | Jérémy Doku

More to follow… Keep refreshing the page to getting more information!

Men’s Ballon d’Or Rankings (2nd to 10th)

Lewandowski at 2nd place in the Ballon d’Or rankings

Kante 5th, Benzema 4th, Jorginho 3rd!

Ronaldo 6th, Salah 7th De Bruyne 8th

There will be no sixth Ballon d’Or for Cristiano Ronaldo this evening with the Portuguese forward finishing sixth in the ranking! Sixth-place Ronaldo finishes outside the top five in the Ballon d’Or for the first time since 2010.

Kevin de Bruyne has been ranked sixth in the Ballon d’Or voting with Mohamed Salah in seventh place! Both players have enjoyed brilliant years with Salah arguably in the form of his life right now!

Of course, de Bruyne helped Manchester City to their third Premier League title in four years.

MBAPPE 9TH, DONNARUMMA 10TH!

Laporta: I am convinced Barcelona will beat Bayern Munich

The Blaugrana president has full confidence in side’s chances to advance to the Champions League knockout stage

Barcelona president Joan Laporta is “convinced” his club will defeat Bayern Munich in their final Champions League group game on December 8.

He has said the appointment of Xavi as manager has inspired more respect from opponents, which could be a factor in what he has predicted to be a “miracle” win at the Allianz Arena.

The Blaugrana could still advance to the knockout stage without toppling their German opponent, but leaving Munich with a win is the only way to 100 per cent assure advancement regardless of what happens in Benfica vs Dynamo Kyiv.

What has been said?

“Beating Bayern is something that can be achieved,” Laporta said to AS. “There is going to be a miracle, I am convinced that we are going to win.

“Xavi is very motivated and very strong. I hope everything goes well for us, I think that at the moment Xavi’s arrival has generated a little respect from our opponents. They know we can do it again.”

Bigger picture

Barcelona lost 3-0 to Bayern Munich at Camp Nou earlier in the campaign, and their general form this season has been below typical standards as they sit in seventh place in La Liga.

There is also the matter of their infamous 8-2 loss against Bayern Munich in 2020, which they will be reminded of by rival fans in the build-up to the December 8 clash.

However, the Bavarians may be fielding a weakened starting line-up as they have already clinched first place in the group and could be hesitant to risk injury.

Laporta also believes the Xavi boost in spirit will translate to a passionate display on the pitch.

Barcelona will seal a place in the last 16 if they beat Bayern Munich; if they draw or lose at the Allianz Arena they would need Benfica to draw or lose their match against Dynamo Kyiv in order to advance.

‘The level is not very high’ – Conte admits it’ll take time to fix Tottenham after ‘poor’ display

The Italian head coach made no excuses after watching his side suffer a surprise loss in the Europa Conference League

Antonio Conte has admitted that it will “take time to bring Tottenham back” while slamming their “poor” display in an upset defeat to Mura.

Spurs slumped to their first loss under Conte in the Europa Conference League, losing 2-1 to Slovenian minnows Mura.

A stoppage-time winner from Amadej Marosa gave the hosts all three points, leaving Spurs’ new manager fuming on the touchline.

What’s been said?

Conte expressed his disappointment in his post-match press conference, telling reporters: “This a bad loss for us. The performance was poor. We know we have a lot of work ahead of us. This is a difficult moment for us.

“We need patience to improve, to be good again. We were poor not only technically and tactically but also mentally. It will take time to bring Tottenham back.”

The Spurs head coach added: “After three weeks I am starting to understand the situation. It is not simple. At this moment the level at Tottenham is not so high.”

Spurs humbled in Slovenia

Conte made nine changes to the team that beat Leeds 2-1 in the Premier League last weekend, but still included household names such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Tanguy Ndombele in his lineup.

Despite the array of talent on the pitch for Tottenham, Mura took the lead through Tommy Morvat after just 11 minutes.

The visitors’ task was made all the more difficult when Ryan Sessegnon was sent off for a second bookable offence just before the break, setting up a tense second half of action.

Spurs eventually found an equalizer when Kane chipped into the net from a tight angle with 18 minutes left, but Mura had the final say thanks to Marosa’s late deflected effort.

Conte’s men must now beat Rennes in their final group stage game to make certain of a place in the playoffs for the knockout stage.

Man Utd set to appoint Rangnick as interim manager

The Red Devils remain keen on Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino, although Rangnick will step in until the end of the 2021-22 season

Manchester United are closing in on appointing Ralf Rangnick as their interim manager until the end of the season.

The Red Devils have held advanced talks with the 63-year-old, and it is expected he will soon be announced as a short-term replacement for sacked former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has been on United’s radar, with GOAL having confirmed that the Ligue 1 giants knocked back an initial enquiry, although Rangnick will steer the ship until the end of the season.

What are the details?

Manchester United have settled on hiring an interim manager after the sacking of Solskjaer, with the Red Devils believing they would struggle to land Pochettino, their first-choice permanent target, at the moment.

Sources say the former Tottenham boss is keen to make the move to Old Trafford and would have been open to leaving PSG in the middle of the season.

However, it is understood intermediaries sounded out the French side over letting him go and were knocked back, with the Ligue 1 side not interested in allowing their head coach to leave during the season.

Consequently, the United board have been working through a five-man shortlist, that included former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde, as they searched for an interim successor to Solskjaer.

It is understood conversations with Rangnick have been positive and he is expected to take the position on a sixth-month basis. He could then stay on after next season in a consultancy role.

Rangnick had reservations about taking the job over the weekend, in the immediate aftermath of Solskjaer’s sacking, as he wasn’t keen on a short-term, six-month deal.

It’s understood he changed his mind, however, after United offered him a role to stay on after the end of his interim spell.

What is Rangnick’s background in football?

During his coaching career, Rangnick has managed five clubs in the Bundesliga, including Schalke and RB Leipzig.

It was with Schalke that he enjoyed the most success, finishing runners-up in Germany’s top flight in the 2004-05 season, while he claimed DFB-Pokal and DFL-Supercup glory in 2011.

In 2012, Rangnick became director of football for both RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg, with the 63-year-old having played a significant role in helping the former rise from the fourth tier of German football to the Bundesliga.

Rangnick is currently Manager of Sports and Development at Russian Premier League side Lokomotiv Moscow, where he was appointed to the role back in July 2021.

Antonio Conte’s Spurs lose 2-1 to Slovenian team, Mura, in Europa conference league tie

We all thought it would be another regular Thursday night football where the ‘big’ teams would conquer the underdogs but a certain game in Slovenia stunned everyone. A Slovenian team, NS Mura, defeated English Premier league ‘top 6’ team, Tottenham by 2 goals to 1.

Even though a majority of the first team players did not start the game, it would be difficult for Spurs fans to swallow this loss because they hoped to get a ‘new manager bounce’ since appointing Antonio Conte as coach.

Ns Mura took the lead in the 11th minute of the game with a stunning goal from Tomi Horvat.

In the 34th minute, things went from bad to worse for Spurs as Ryan Sessegnon got his second yellow card of the match.

Harry Kane was able to equalise in the 72nd minute, showing a spark that there might be light at the end of the tunnel for the Londoners. However, that light was extinguished in added time as Amadej Marosa slotted in the winner.

This was indeed a story of David conquering Goliath. In his post-match interview, Antonio Conte sighted that the ‘level at Tottenham is not so high’.

The question is, will the Italian gaffer get Spurs to the ‘high level’? or should Spurs fans expect a series of humiliating defeat from underdogs this season?