If Last Week Rangnick had a glimmer of hope for being United manager next season, the defeat of Atletico in The Second Round of the Champions League was undoubtedly dashed. United have won five consecutive games in international competitions, while they are on track to score 66 points in the Premier League, which will be their fourth time in the last seven years that they have scored 66 points, a fitting symbol of their stagnation in the post-Ferguson era.
Needless to say, they need to get a proper manager, it's been 10 years since United's last league title and it's been an important milestone that will cause more reflection on United. They need to have a long-term vision and the team's goal is the league title, but they also understand that it will take a long time for United to reach the level of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool and Guardiola's Manchester City.
As Liverpool fans can attest, the first 10 years of not fighting for the title were tough, getting harder every year and United had to prepare for a long process that required patience. There is no expediency and no time to waste. Overall, United have two directions to go. One is high-pressure pressing and vertical attack, and the other is the more patient method of possession: the Klopp method or the Guardiola method.
Pochettino and Eric Tenhag are United's best options, as are Lopetegui, Tuchel and Enrique. Enrique is certainly out of the question, as he has made up his mind to lead Spain into the World Cup. Pochettino had been trying to command the Grand Paris, but he found the players' personal strength too strong for his tactical convictions to be unleashed.
But Greater Paris is a perfect example of how to set up a football club, and now Manchester United are worryingly approaching the same approach. From The Leaks of Rangnick's actions to the big newspapers to the complaints we see on the pitch, United need a coach who has seen the worst of the worst and try to kill them before things get out of hand. From a tactical point of view, he is the ideal candidate. Pochettino wants to play vertically focused high-pressure football in transition, which is consistent with the Premier League's tactical shift to a Germanic way of playing.
He and Tuchel are not much different, although Pochettino's side is stronger. Pochettino's focus on using the overlap of full-backs to provide a break from the wing means United need at least a new right-back, but elsewhere there is also a basis for direct football that takes advantage of the transfer. Then there's the problem of Cristiano Ronaldo, whose presence could determine United's choice. As part of a collective system, he was reluctant to put pressure or sacrifice himself, which made Clopert's choice less attractive than Guardiola's style of control.
When choosing Guardiola or Klopp, possession or vertical passing is a better option. But the main reason United are caught up in this mess is their nostalgia, inability to keep up with the times, and indulgence in superstars. For that reason, plus there is a good chance that Tuchel will stay at Chelsea, Pochettino is the answer. Many United fans are worried about Pochettino's history missing trophies, but among all the candidates, he was able to build a long-term rebuild in the dressing room and with the support of the fans. This is the most important feature, far more important than the candidate's tactical philosophy.
Pochettino's strength is that he recognises what people expect in his own dressing room, a tactical ideology based on self-sacrifice that works in the Premier League and a record of developing young players. United have always been surrounded by the media, but with a well-known and lovable character like Pochettino, at least emotionally and tactically, there is room for rebuilding to take small steps forward in the first two years.