Will Manchester United sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as coach? Latest rumors about possible layoffs

Can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer survive the 4-1 loss to Watford? We are about to find out after an emergency meeting was reported by the Manchester United board following the latest loss.

The Times in London reports that Solskjaer’s work will be the subject of discussion at the meeting.

Additional Times reporting suggests that club owners want to convince Zinedine Zidane to take over on the sidelines.

Ownership gave Solskjaer a two-week international break to settle things down after a 2-0 derby loss to Manchester City. But things are not better against Watford in the first match back here. Watford have scored four goals and could have been more if it weren’t for the two successful saves from David De Gea’s penalty. Man United captain Harry Maguire being sent off during the game didn’t help either.

Going into the defeat against Manchester City, Solskjaer reported to have three matches to save his job later humiliating loss 5-0 at home to Liverpool. But it’s never clear what those results should be.

The club management also decided to keep The 48-year-old manager is at the top after the defeat to Liverpool, though” seriously considering sacking Solskjaer “After changing their formation to a three-center-back, his Manchester United side drew 1-1-1 over the next three matches. A Premier League win over Tottenham and a draw at Atalanta in the Champions League League followed by a 2-0 loss The home defeat to city rivals Manchester City brought a lot of helplessness to the Liverpool defeat.

Solskjaer said after the Liverpool game that he still feels he is the right man for the job despite calling that 5-0 score “rock bottom”. And he remains convinced of that after a modest defeat to Manchester City, in which Man United were overrated and completely outplayed.

“I have always been in good communication with the club and have been very open and honest about the situation,” he said after the derby defeat. “I work for Manchester United and want the best for Manchester United. As long as I’m here I want to do what I can to improve this and that will go back to how we started.

Solskjaer continued: “We still don’t trust the ball and we don’t pass the ball as well as I know it’s possible,” continued Solskjaer, who also admitted that his side were not up to par with the contenders. other Premier League members. “Currently we are [far off]. But we have to go back to what we started looking like. We started to look like a proper team towards the end of last season and the beginning of this season, and we need to get back to that. “

But the prevailing sentiment after both games against title contenders Liverpool and Manchester City was that those teams had clear game plans, movements and playing patterns that made them appear one step ahead of Man. United just reacted and didn’t meet the same standards. .

Those shortcomings also showed up against Atalanta in the Champions League, but Cristiano Ronaldo rescued the Reds with incredible individual efforts to earn a win and draw in both of those games.

The case against Solskjaer

Despite some big signings this season, including Raphael Varane ($44 million paid to Real Madrid), Jadon Sancho ($93 million paid to Borussia Dortmund) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($16 million to Juventus) ), Manchester United have not played well this season, and even many wins are not convincing.

THAN: How Ronaldo escaped the red card against Liverpool

United have one win in their last seven matches, a match that has dropped them to seventh in the table, 12 points behind leaders Chelsea. The Red Devils have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup (League Cup) and are behind in their last three Champions League games after opening the group stage with a shock defeat to Young Boys of Switzerland. The 5-0 loss to Liverpool was the low point of a challenging couple of weeks and Manchester City’s performance did not appear to be improving. The Watford loss seemed to be the last straw.

Solskjaer’s tactics and squad selection have been in place for more than a month. United generally lacked organization and coordination without the ball, and there was little clear collective thought in attack, relying instead on moments of individual excellence. The UEFA Champions League’s elite rivalry exposed those setbacks with his team losing half of the games played in that competition during his tenure (7 out of 14).

All this has led to public comments from his own players on tactics and game plan, and that has led to reports that Solskjaer has lost “the trust of some players.”

But there are still voices in the press, including some of his former United teammates, suggesting that Solskjaer needs better players or more time and support from the possession. One report even blamed the club American owners for maintaining low standards that has led to this moment of crisis for the club.

Solskjaer’s contract with Manchester United

After finishing second in the Premier League last season (12 points behind Manchester City) and leading Manchester United to the Europa League final (losing to Villarreal on penalties), Manchester United give Solskjaer a new three-year contract in July extends to 2024 with the option for an extra. That will make parting with the Norwegian particularly difficult for the leadership.

Since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, Solskjaer is the person with the longest time in charge and the most investment in players:

Who can become the manager of Man United?

It is believed that Italian Antonio Conte, who is spending a championship season with Inter Milan in Italy, is the candidate with the best track record to take over at a club as old as United. But despite reports of his interest in the Man United job, he joined Tottenham Hotspur after Spurs sacked their manager, Nuno Espirito Santo.

One UK sportsbook with odds in a list The permanent management candidates and many names already have current club commitments or have declined any affiliation. Former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, who coached Ronaldo at Real Madrid, was at one point reported as disinterested , and it’s hard to imagine Roberto Martinez jumping ship from Belgium, the world’s No. 1 ranked national team, on the eve of the World Cup, or Ronaldo becoming a player manager.

The most likely candidate on that list, and one whose coaching philosophy matches Man United’s preferred proactive play, seems to be the architect that helped RB Leipzig rise to a position of power in the Premier League. Bundesliga: Ralf Rangnick, who has just joined Lokomotiv Moscow in a management role. Germany-based SportBild reporter Christian Falk claims he’s interested.

However, The Independent’s Miguel Delaney reports that Rangnick will only serve as interim coach until he can hire a permanent manager to take over, allowing Rangnick to become Director of Football.

When can Manchester United change manager?

Some clubs wait until the extended holidays organized by FIFA for the World Cup qualifiers and from November 7 to November 7, 17 will be one of them.

Despite the absence of his international players in World Cup qualifiers, Solskjaer has two weeks to work on the more difficult tactical aspects when the team is playing and recovering from the three-day matches. .

The match against Watford is the first in a series of tests at the end of November. After the match against Watford, Champions League place in the last 16 could be threatened in the crucial group stage match at Villarreal (November 23). ).

The week ends with a major clash with league leaders Chelsea (November 28), which could put Manchester United out of the title race forever.