Ralf Rangnick is one of the best German football managers in the world right now. He is one of few football personnels that can work as a coach, manager and executive director all at the same.

Ralf Rangnick, who was a former player, switched to coaching after his retirement and was successful in his debut season in the German lower division, where he won the Regionalliga Süd with Ulm 1846.

Known for his role in the upward rise of RB Leipzig to the German Bundesliga within a few years, Rangnick has become one of the most sought after football managers in the European scene.

For football in the European continent, a manager with in-depth knowledge and well formated patterns would succeed, and Ralf Rangnick fits into that description. He single handedly took the management affairs of Leipzig, help to raise the club to it’s the current standard.

Today, RB Leipzig have managed to compete favourably in the German Bundesliga thanks to the already built scouting system that is capable of searching for talents and building them up for the tough challenges in the European soccer scene.

Interesting Football takes a look at Ralf Rangnick’s team coached, trophies and philosophy

During Rangnick’s active football career, he played for VfB Stuttgart II, Southwick VfR Heilbronn, Ulm 1846, FC Viktoria Backnang and TSV Lippoldsweiler.

Ralf Rangnick teams coached

Manchester United 

Dates Joined: 2021

Position: Interim Coach

Ralf was appointed interim coach by Manchester United, followed by a poor run of form that saw the departure of Ole Gunnar Solakjaer. His role at the club could be more than just an interim coach as he could be handed an executive or technical director in the future.

Known for utilising the unique tactics commonly known as the gegenpressing, Man United could have a new system similar to that of RB Leipzig, Locomotiv Moscow and Schalke 04 in the past.

For Man United, the trophy drought, which is increasingly becoming a concern amid heavy spending in the transfer market, could force out a new system that effectively worked in the German football scene.

Lokomotiv Moscow

Dates Joined: July – November 2021

Position: Sports and development manager

Ralf signed a three-year contract as manager of sports and development for Russian Premier League club Lokomotiv Moscow on 6 July 2021.

About four months into his tenure at Locomotiv Moscow, he left to join Manchester United in the Premier League as interim manager.

RB Leipzig

Dates Joined: 2015–2016 and 2018–2019

Position: Director of football and head coach

The current level of RB Leipzig is due to the hard work by Ralf Rangnick, who was the key man behind the scenes. Leipzig, a fourth division club, rose to the Bundesliga quickly to become an instant hit.

RB finished in the top three of their debut season and led the league table almost at the end of the first half of the season in the second stint in the top flight. Since then, the club has kept up with the tradition of qualifying for the Champions League.

The philosophy at Red Bull

Ralf Rangnick joined the Red Bull football empire as director of football in 2012 and helped the company’s goal of developing young players to their full potential. This move already yielded much success with the performance of RB Leipzig from the lower divisions of German football to the top flight in a short time.

Schalke 04

Dates Joined: 2004–2005 and 2011

Bundesliga traditional side Schalke 04 was Rangnick’s destination following his departure from Hannover 96 in 2004. With Gelsenkirchen, the German came close to winning the two major trophies, the Bundesliga and the German Cup.

Although Ralf started brightly, he was unlucky as he could not replicate the same performance in his first season which eventually led to his exit from the club at the end of the season.

However, he was on the job again following his appointment in March 2011 as the replacement for Felix Magath.

This time, Rangnick won two major trophies with the club, which includes the 2010–11 DFB-Pokal and 2011 DFL-Supercup

Hannover 96

Dates Joined: 2001–2004

As his job at the club, Ralf Rangnick won the German Bundesliga 2 title, which ensured promotion for Hannover 96 to the German Bundesliga following season after a 13-year absence.

VfB Stuttgart

Dates Joined: 1990–1994 and 1999–2001

VfB Stuttgart was one of Ralf Rangnick’s best jobs at the time. With the Stuttgart based club, he won the 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Ulm 1846

Rangnick’s first trophy in football management was the Regionalliga Süd victory in the 1997–98 season with Ulm 1846.

Reutlingen 05 – 1995–1997

SC Korb- 1988–1990

TSV Lippoldsweiler – 1987–1988

VfB Stuttgart II – 1985–1987

FC Viktoria Backnang – 1983–1985

Ralf Rangnick tactics

Regarded as one of the best German football managers, Rangnick too has his tactics, which he has been utilising.

Termed the ‘gegenpressing’ Ralf Rangnick utilises this tactic, an intense style of play that sees his team press high against opponents when out of possession to win off the ball back as soon as they lose it.

The gegenpressing makes it difficult for teams to continue holding the ball and play with complete confidence after it has been won off the opponent.

Ralf Rangnick trophies

In total, Ralf Rangnick has won seven official trophies in all of Germany, including one UEFA Intertoto Cup, one Bundesliga 2, one DFB-Pokal, one Under 19 Bundesliga, one DFL-Supercup and one DFL-Ligapokal.