Ralf Rangnick and Jürgen Klopp are, in a way, two sides of the same coin. The famous “counter-pressing”, a term which consultants and other football observers use and abuse, was created by the former in Germany, then popularized by the latter in England. If both have been successful on their own so far, Klopp with Liverpool, Rangnick within the Red Bull galaxy, since the country of football brought the two tacticians together, fortunes diverge. Finally especially for Rangnick. Placed above the clouds by some of his colleagues before his arrival on English soil, he got lost in the Mancunian fog. Jürgen Klopp, however, feared the parachuting of his counterpart and compatriot in the Premier League. “He’s a really experienced manager, detailed the Reds coach for the uninitiated. In Germany, he allowed two clubs, Hoffenheim and Leipzig, to become real threats. I think United will be well organized on the pitch. Obviously it’s not good news for the other teams.” So much praise from a technician who brought the Champions League back to Anfield. All that to humiliate him 5-0 at the end of October, in a dumbfounded Old Traford. That day, we observed the masterclass of a form of total football against a football totally dependent on Cristiano Ronaldo.Premier LeagueA new hat-trick and CR7 is still the tree that hides the forest04/16/2022 At 17:59Who is the favorite to the final victory? “Liverpool stand out, City have left too many feathers” But where are the scorers? Because the two tacticians may have the same philosophy, between theory and practice, there is a world. Maybe even a universe. Ideally, Klopp and Rangnick require their players to be starving, constantly active, with and (especially) without the ball. In Liverpool, this ideal is touched with the fingertips, sometimes even seized with both hands on certain meetings. In Manchester it remains more of the order of utopia. The translation in stats reads simply. In the Reds, the danger comes from all the attacking elements. Mohamed Salah is the league’s top scorer (20 goals), Diogo Jota is third (15), Sadio Mané is fifth (13). The midfield is not to be outdone, Fabinho has scored five times this season, Naby Keita, Oxlade Chamberlain and Jordan Henderson twice each. And the defensive sector also poses a threat: Trent Alexander Arnold is the best provider in the Premier League (12), Andrew Robertson is third (9). And the one that separates them is none other than… Salah (11). “It’s the best version of Klopp’s Liverpool, the most accomplished” Among the Red Devils, Ronaldo is doing well with his 15 goals, but those who closest are Bruno Fernandes (9) and Mason Grenwood (5). Paul Pogba (9 assists) brings the Mancunians to the caviar distributors, Bruno Fernandes keeps up the pace (6), but for the rest… it’s meager. In other words, a good part of the Mancunian game is based on the ability of the fivefold Ballon d’Or to be decisive, whether it is served by its partners … or not. Ralf Rangnick lacks everything In his defense, Ralf Rangnick, who arrived during the season, ran out of time to put in place a demanding system of play, which he seems to have more or less abandoned since in favor of a footbalistic pragmatism good at saving the furniture. Klopp, as a visionary, had also warned him: “All the coaches in the world need time and Ralf will quickly realize that he will not have it because we play all the time, which will make things a little more difficult for him”. Comfortable analysis for the man who has led Liverpool since 2015. Rangnick and Ronaldo, to put United forwardCredit: Getty Images But well beyond the time, the former Leipziger did not have the human capital necessary for his game project. He who has got used to having the manager’s cap, in addition to that of coach, did not have the opportunity to do his market. If not during the last winter transfer window, not really conducive to major moves. So we had to deal with it. A turn of phrase not really appropriate when it comes to building an attack around Cristiano Ronaldo, but all the same. The Portuguese is both Rangnick’s superpower and kryptonite. Against the last of the Premier League Norwich on Saturday, Ronaldo slammed a hat-trick (3-2) which saved United from another complicated media week. But how do you set up a game plan based on intense pressure when your best player, an almost indisputable starter, is one of the 1% of European big 5 strikers who press the least. “We shouldn’t just be relying on him,” Rangnick said after the win over Norwich. On Tuesday, United will have to wash away the affront of the first leg and grab points in the race for European places, so dear to the big players who make up the Red Devils squad. It will unfortunately be for Rangnick without the Portuguese, package following a family drama. Already that without the imperative need for victory, the German tended to leave the keys of the truck to Ronaldo, against Liverpool he will have to find another driver to try to bring the three points home.The Emirates FA CupLiverpool punishes City and propels itself into the final16/04/2022 At 16:24The Emirates FA CupA huge ball from Steffen then a masterpiece: Mané smashed City before the break16/04/2022 At 15:29