There may come a point, perhaps next season, when Pep Guardiola emulates Ralf Rangnick. Which, wonderfully as the godfather of gegenpressing has done with Austria, probably would not be taken as a compliment in Manchester. Except for the issue of how he draws level with an unsuccessful caretaker: Rangnick mustered eight wins as a manager at Old Trafford. Guardiola is now up to seven, and he has never managed Manchester United.
But the Theatre of Dreams seems transformed into his playground. Sir Alex Ferguson hoped it would be when he tried to woo Guardiola over dinner in New York in 2012; though his aim was to persuade the Catalan to become his successor, not United’s nemesis.
