United desperate to end slump against West Ham
MANCHESTER, Uni te d Kingdom: The Ole Gunnar Solskjaer feelgood factor at Manchester United has been replaced by a fear factor as the club face the real prospect of missing out on next season’s Champions League.
United’s popular new boss has little margin for error after a damaging run that has seen his side lose four of their past five league and cup games, sliding back down to sixth in the Premier League in the process.
Solskjaer’s side, who host West Ham on Saturday, held their own in the midweek home Champions League quarter-final first leg against Barcelona but still recorded a 1- 0 defeat to take into next week’s return fixture in Spain.
But the task facing Solskjaer domestical ly is every bit as challenging as the prospect of taking on Messi and company in the Camp Nou.
Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal are all vying with United for the two places left on offer in the top four behind title-chasing Liverpool and Manchester City.
And it appears Solskjaer’s remarkable efforts to turn around United’s season may be floundering at precisely the wrong moment.
Only two of United’s four recent losses have come in the league, at Arsenal and Wolves, but their only victory in their past five has come
It’s difficult but then again, we’re a very good team and it’s going to be difficult for anybody who plays against us. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manchester United manager
in a less-than-convincing 2-1 home win over Watford which Solskjaer, at the time, described as the worst performance of his reign.
West Ham, who are a l so struggling for form, would appear to offer the Norwegian the chance to return to winning ways at Old Trafford but Solskjaer himself has made clear his side cannot afford untimely slip-ups.
Before last week’s league defeat at Wolves, Solskjaer broke from type and issued a points target for his team – 15 from their then remaining seven fixtures.
Even after United let a lead slip to lose 2-1 to their hosts, Solskjaer remained upbeat.
“I said we need 15 points from our last seven games and now we need 15 from our last six,” he said.
“It’s difficult but then again, we’re a very good team and it’s going to be difficult for anybody who plays against us.”
United are braced for a tough run of fixtures as the season enters its final few weeks.