Man Utd need a coach, not a 'strategist'

Alex Ferguson has authority over the players.

The common point of the successor coaches is that most of them are good strategists who are good at drawing diagrams and building philosophies on paper, but lack the ability to manage people - the core factor that made Sir Alex successful. The only exception is Jose Mourinho, a true coach, but he did not receive support from the upper echelons and the club environment, leading to bitter failure.

Looking back on the past, fans can easily see that Man Utd does not need a "football professor" who only knows how to preach philosophy, but needs a practical manager, a commander who can turn 25 egos in the dressing room into a collective fighting for a common goal.

Ghosts after Ferguson: Succession Theorists

Sir Alex Ferguson is the epitome of a complete coach: both tactically savvy and a master of human management. What makes him special is not his complex football schemes, but his ability to handle big personalities, build a winning culture, and maintain discipline for more than two decades. When Sir Alex left, Man Utd lost a true “coach”.

David Moyes was the first successor. He was chosen because of his closeness to Sir Alex and his success at Everton. But Moyes was just a “plowing man” coach, lacking the stature to manage a giant club. He did not create prestige in the dressing room, could not impose his character in an environment where players had high salaries and big egos. As a result, Moyes collapsed after less than a season.

Solskjaer is not capable of becoming the second Ferguson.

Louis van Gaal is a tactical master, rich in experience and has a clear philosophy. However, he is too heavy on "football theory", always wanting players to mechanically obey the diagrams he draws. In the Premier League environment, where players need creative freedom, Van Gaal turns them into rigid operating machines. As a result, Man Utd becomes bland, with results far below expectations.

With Mourinho, fans saw a real leader. Mourinho knew how to manage stars, inspire fighting spirit, and even brought home titles in the 2016/17 season.

However, Mourinho was not supported by the board of directors in his transfer policy, and many personnel requests were rejected. The tense relationship with the upper management, combined with the complicated internal dressing room, caused the "Special One" to leave his seat early. This is the biggest regret for both the "Red Devils" and Mourinho. If Mourinho had absolute power like Sir Alex, Man Utd would have had Ferguson 2.0.

After Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag continue to represent the two extremes of “theoreticians”. Solskjaer has the “Red Devil” quality and optimism, but he is just a coach who understands his students, is so close to them that he is manipulated by the players.

Ten Hag was the opposite: a brilliant tactician, but a difficult manager due to his distance from the players. He tried to impose the Ajax model on Man Utd, but Old Trafford was not the Amsterdam Arena - where young players could easily be submissive. At Old Trafford, big personalities quickly made things difficult for Ten Hag.

Amorim is very good at drawing diagrams.

In between them was Ralf Rangnick, the “pressing architect” who was also a pure theorist. He was brilliant on paper, but when faced with a star-studded dressing room at Old Trafford, Rangnick was completely helpless. The players did not respect him, the tactics did not work, and the season became a disaster.

As for Ruben Amorim, he is a coach who is fascinated with the game plan on the field and rarely shows the image of inspiring the players. The bad records of Man Utd under Amorim make the fans more pessimistic than optimistic. There are whispers that Amorim is Ten Hag version 2.0.

The common point here is clear: Man Utd has continuously given the chair to theorists, not to a manager who knows how to manage people. And failure is inevitable.

Why does Man Utd need a "coach" like Ancelotti or Zidane?

In modern football, tactics are still important, but they are no longer the only deciding factor. When players have huge salaries, big egos, and more power, the art of managing people becomes the measure of a coach's success.

Man Utd players are all good and when they leave Old Trafford, they all shine at new clubs like Scott McTominay, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford or Antony. But when they wear the "Red Devils" shirt, their talent is restrained. Solving such a problem requires a coach who is a military leader, understands psychology and has management ability.

Ancelotti is a master psychologist.

Carlo Ancelotti is a typical example. He is not famous for his revolutionary football philosophy, but for his composure and ability to manage people. Under Ancelotti, the world's top stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Luka Modric or Toni Kroos all feel respected and develop their full potential.

Ancelotti knows when to give chances, when to rotate, and most importantly, maintain cohesion in the dressing room. Real Madrid under Ancelotti are not always the most tactically brilliant team, but they are the most winning team.

Zidane is the type of coach Man Utd need.

Zinedine Zidane is no different. He is not a tactical genius, but he has charisma and natural power. As a legend on the pitch, Zidane commands the respect of his star players. In the dressing room, he is a good listener, a good communicator, but also very tough when necessary. As a result, Zidane's Real Madrid won 3 consecutive Champions Leagues - a feat that no "theoretician" can repeat with just a tactical scheme.

Meanwhile, options like Erik ten Hag or Ruben Amorim represent the opposite trend. They are very good theorists, with systems for pressing, controlling the ball or organizing the game scientifically . However, their ideas only work in the laboratory, in a perfect environment without obstacles.

Rangnick does not have enough authority to get the players to cooperate.

But when entering the environment of Old Trafford, where players do not obey absolutely, those theories easily collapse. Rangnick's story clearly proves this.

In the current context of Man Utd, what the club needs is not a new football philosophy. They need a practical coach who can control the egos in the dressing room, turning the team into a unified block. That person may not be the best strategist in the world, but must be someone who understands the psychology of the players, has personal prestige and the ability to "lead people" rather than "know the diagram".

The Man Utd leadership is also aware of that. There have been many times that Man Utd wanted to invite Zidane back, but the former French player has been observing. Zidane is smart, so he has to calculate whether his reputation and ability to win people's hearts are enough to suppress the "evil spirit" that has prevailed at Old Trafford for more than a decade.

Source: https://znews.vn/man-utd-can-nha-cam-quan-chu-khong-can-chien-luoc-gia-post1588423.html