It seemed like life was good again for Manchester United fans in March this year. They were making history with six straight away wins, a last-minute penalty completed a memorable comeback win over PSG in the Champions League and a legend was leading the charge, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Jump to this past Sunday, a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle stretches their winless run on the road to eight games. Nine points after eight league games is their worst start to a season in 30 years, injuries are a plenty and the void left by Romelu Lukaku is more glaring than ever. So, where do the faults point to? How do you fix the problems?
Many say the manager, but I don’t think it would change a whole lot.
Invoking the ‘Spirit of 99’ has been and gone, now it’s very much now or never for Solskjaer to make his dream job work. The signings to the backline have made a difference, having the fourth-best defensive record in the league, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka slotting in nicely until the latter’s injury. In attack is where the problems have appeared, amassing just 16 shots on target in four away games this season, including none in a 0-0 Europa League draw at AZ Ailkmaar, it’s also just one goal in the last three league games.
The opening weekend 4-0 blitz of Chelsea lifted morale and it seemed promising with Antony Martial taking the vacated the striker role, Rashford and Daniel James on the wings with the Welshman shining on the big stage. Yet, an injury to the Frenchman has hindered their offence alongside missing Paul Pogba, with Rashford failing to step up to the plate.
A man in waiting is Mason Greenwood, a star at youth level and Europa League goal-scorer, but he is barely featuring in the league, why? Solskjaer has given ample opportunities to Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Andreas Pereira, who have shone in spells but not consistently delivered, which is what the club is dying for. Young starlets Axel Tuanzebe and Scott McTominay have risen to dependable first-team players, taking the limelight in the recent dismal draw with Arsenal., showing more quality than veteran squad players.
There’s enough talent there, proven world class stars in David De Gea and Paul Pogba, exciting and dynamic attackers with an improving solid defence. But why is it not clicking? Many are now calling for one of the heroes from 1999, to face the sack.
It may be a quick fix, as it proved when dismissing Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer’s superb start winning 10 of his first 11 games. But moving forward, there is a worrying lack of long-term strategy at United, meaning whoever takes over will find themselves exactly where the Norwegian is now.
Whether it’s the Glazer family or Ed Woodward, the failure to back Mourinho proved comical as the same centre back he targeted, was signed by Solskjaer a year later with his price doubling. The iconic Portuguese boss openly spoke of the lack of investment, Solskjaer made it clear he was going to revamp the squad, yet the board have again failed to put the money where the manager’s mouth is.
Two experienced forwards departed, Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez albeit both for good reasons, but with no one in to replace them that is proving a poor move. The drawn-out saga behind a swoop for Bruno Fernandes simply embarrassed the club as did Leicester City getting exactly what they wanted for Maguire, they are the example of recruiting and being run efficiently.
Where does this leave United? Putting it simply, Solskjaer does seem out of his depth at this point, but if they are to sack him, they must rethink how they are running the club, remembering it’s not just a brand and it is one of the great football clubs in the history of the game. Keeping him means he MUST be backed in January to add where necessary and salvage this transition.
The problem is, can you trust them to make the right choice? It could well hinge on how they fair against run-away league leaders and arch rivals, Liverpool.
Sam Tonks 