He’s the cool, calm customer enjoying yoga sessions between Austria’s Euros matches - and it is increasingly clear why Ralf Rangnick couldn’t get away from Manchester United quick enough.
The 65-year-old German was hailed as the man to turn things around at Old Trafford when he became their left-field choice to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as interim boss in November 2021. A contract was drawn up until the end of that season, with two further years in a consultancy role planned on top of that.
Had all gone to plan then Rangnick would be coming to the end of that contract now, but he got out of Old Trafford quicker than water seeps through the roof there, jumping ship for the Austria job two years ago.
Unlike at United it is a role that suits him, with his studious approach and intelligent way of working partnered with a style that gets the best out of players who are willing to put the effort in.
Some doubted whether his methods would transfer onto the international stage. Meanwhile others such as 35-year-old Marko Arnautovic openly questioned whether they could play under him due to his fondness for the pressing game which has influenced the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel and saw Bayern Munich come calling for him this summer.
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But with Austria primed to qualify for the last-16 largely thanks to Arnautovic’s penalty in their 3-1 win over Poland, then it seems as though they’re wrong.
Ralf Rangnick became Austria coach two summers ago (AFP via Getty Images)“I would say it [international football] is a bit like a crash course,” said a relaxed Rangnick ahead of the Group D match with the Netherlands in Berlin.
“Everything that you have over five or six weeks at club level has to happen within a few days here. It’s important to know how you want to play so that the players don’t have to learn something new for every game.
“Those are the main things, but it’s also important to keep in touch with the players in between. To have a personal touch with them, going in and out of the group.”
Austria were 3-1 winners over Poland in their second game (Getty Images)The meeting with the Dutch will be a special one for Rangnick, whose boyhood idol shone in the legendary orange shirt.
“I was a big admirer of Johan Cruyff as a player,” he said. “That big that I even asked when I was a young player of 15, 16, even though the numbers were 1-11 I asked my coach if I could play with No.14. He allowed me to do that because I was the team captain. That was unusual at the time!”
That win over Poland gives Austria a great chance to advance as at least one of the best third-placed sides, although Rangnick will be without goalscoring defender Gernot Trauner after he picked up an injury.
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