It was the speed and steepness of the landing that amazed Manchester United.
As the Portuguese superstar marked his second Manchester United debut with two goals in a 4-1 win over Newcastle, all seemed fine. As hundreds of fans waited more than half an hour to cheer the Portuguese superstar as he conducted his post-match interviews, it seemed unbelievable that 10 weeks later, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be sacked. waste.
But, after surviving after 5-0 loss at home to Liverpool on October 24 and a ‘humiliating’ 2-0 loss to Manchester City on November 6, Solskjaer was removed from the manager’s chair later on Saturday. 4-1 loss to Watford.
The statistics are very clear. Four wins in 13 games in all competitions since that Newcastle win. Seven points from eight Premier League games, with United keeping one clean sheet. 19 goals conceded in 7 games. The Carabao Cup is over.
It was even worse but for a David de Gea stoppage-time penalty save ensured a 2-1 Premier League win over West Ham in September and three crucial late goals. Ronaldo in the Champions League – a late home winner against Villarreal and Atalanta, and an impressive goal against Gian Piero Gasperini’s side in Italy.
Solskjaer: Advantages
For some, Solskjaer’s exit came a long time ago. They never believed the Norwegian got the job done in the first place and have been waiting for him to fail since his appointment was made permanent in March 2019.
That judgment is harsh.
Solskjaer has restored pride to a club that succeeded in the final days of the Jose Mourinho era. Without a doubt, he acted and made decisions for the benefit of Manchester United, a club that had his heart set on it.
He took second place in the Premier League last season, as high as United have managed since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. After 19 games, they were top, a position they are not entitled to. at such an advanced stage. season since Ferguson left.
If they beat Villarreal in the Europa League final as expected, Solskjaer will have an element of protection against the problems engulfing him. But De Gea missed out in a strange penalty shoot-out in Gdansk and, as some felt at the time, the impact of those fine margins on the Norwegian is now being felt.
Solskjaer: Cons
That’s not to say Solskjaer isn’t responsible for United’s downfall.
For a long time he trusted which player and which player did not. Apparently, Donny van de Beek falls into the latter category.
It’s not entirely clear what role Solskjaer played in Van de Beek’s £35m move to Ajax in September 2020, but he has never made the particular impression he thinks the Dutchman has. could have a significant presence at Old Trafford.
BBC Sport has been told by multiple sources that Solskjaer feels worried about Van de Beek, leading to uncertainty over whether he can develop at United.
That view is a bit odd since almost every game last season took place in an empty stadium. The fact that Van de Beek came on and scored as United struggled to find their way back to the match against Watford further undermined Solskjaer’s vision.
Van de Beek has been among a number of highly-rated United players this season.
Dean Henderson’s goalkeeping hopes were dashed, although it must be admitted that David de Gea was one of United’s finest performers.
With De Gea and Henderson on first-team duty, however, Tom Heaton has been reduced to the role of third choice, which doesn’t seem to be the best use of the 35-year-old, who already has face in the England team before him. injured two years ago.
Jesse Lingard posted a photo of himself on social media in a West Ham kit on Friday. This comes after BBC Sport and other media, learned of the collapse of contract negotiations with United.
Lingard’s outstanding loan spell at West Ham during the second half of last season spurred his return to the England team. He decided not to return to the London stadium as often in the summer, in part because he understood Solskjaer would bring more opportunities, opportunities that had yet to come.
Crisis of confidence
On 12 November, Harry Maguire stuck his fingers in his ear – a gesture interpreted as an act of criticism – after scoring in England’s 5-0 win over Albania. Eight days later, the United captain was sent off in a defeat to Watford.
Those two matches encapsulate the defender’s recent form. Good for England, bad for United.
That could be seen in the 4-2 defeat to his former club Leicester in October, when his mistake sent the home team back to a game they were losing. That could also be seen in the Manchester derby in early November, when he and Luke Shaw drew, and allowed City’s Bernardo Silva to take control and score.
Maguire and Shaw played passively, waiting for the ball to fly out of bounds. That attitude was in stark contrast to Bernardo, who was always in favor of trying to make something happen. It alludes to a timidity that pervades the United team.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s focus has never been great. But after being caught in no-man’s land against Liverpool in October and mercilessly exposed by television pundits, he did the same thing against Man City in the match that led to the opening goal. their.
Bruno Fernandes’ failure to capitalize on a clear opportunity to equalize at Watford comes after a performance against Man City that was as poor as he has produced since arriving at United, as he was already in possession of the ball too much. cheap again and again.
It’s never been entirely clear why United spent £47m on Brazilian midfielder Fred. And the only thing that can be said about the injured Paul Pogba is that no one would argue that things would have been better if the Frenchman – who came on as a substitute against Liverpool – was present.
Is Solskjaer ready to challenge the owner?
One of the frequent accusations made about Solskjaer is that he doesn’t have the strong footballing style to mark him, meaning he pales in comparison to heavyweights like Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel.
This view ignores the fact that he has beaten teams managed by all three, while also getting the better of Julian Nagelsmann, Marcelo Bielsa and Mauricio Pochettino.
Initially, Solskjaer felt his squad lacked the fitness to press in the way he wanted. He eliminated Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez with the aim of getting a younger attacking force that can run and force the opposing defense to make mistakes.
His midfield still looks weak, but there is a coherent model for Solskjaer’s recruitment. He signed Jadon Sancho at the start of the close season and convinced Edinson Cavani to stay at Old Trafford for another year when it appeared the Uruguayan was intent on moving on.
The arrival of Ronaldo broke the mold.
When it came to the stroke, the role of number 9, which Cavani and Mason Greenwood were expected to share, was given to the 36-year-old. As a result, Cavani barely played and Greenwood took up a wide role, reducing Sancho’s chances.
Ronaldo’s abilities are unquestionable and his goals have helped United more than once this season. But pressing defenders out of possession was not his game 10 years ago and nothing has changed.
Does Solskjaer really value Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford as execs already know how the Portuguese superstar will have a commercial impact?
And, if not, is he willing to say so?
Even as Solskjaer remains in his job and results are going well, some sources, long in United’s history, wonder if he is prepared to fight in the Premier League. whether he is prepared to challenge the Glazer family and executive vice president Ed Woodward.
In theory, Solskjaer has always felt he was lucky to land such a huge job given his relatively low management background and his nature which means he will accept imperfect situations. rather than against them.
That story may explain why Solskjaer survived terrible defeats against Liverpool and Manchester City. It could also explain why United allowed Antonio Conte to join Tottenham rather than spar with the demanding Italian.
Now, however, they are looking for a post-Ferguson No 5.
And after what they’ve been through, there can be no real confidence that they will achieve it this time around.
