Another drubbing and I fear the curtain may come down for Ole at Theatre of Dreams
SORRY, but if there is any repeat of Manchester United’s horrendous performance against Tottenham, I fear Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will lose his job.
It gives me no pleasure to write those words because I like the guy, I happen to believe he did a terrific job last season, and I would never call for a manager to be sacked.
But results will dictate what happens to Solskjaer ( left), and United’s results have been poor. They were miles off the pace in their home defeat by Crystal Palace, got lucky at Brighton – who hit the woodwork five times – and the six-goal hammering by Spurs was simply unacceptable. A complete shambles.
When things go wrong on the pitch, it is usually the manager who carries the can.
And right now, I am wondering how on earth I tipped United to finish second in the Premier League before a ball was kicked this season.
Based on the defensive horror show I watched against Spurs, they will be lucky to finish in the top six. While Everton, Arsenal and Tottenham all appear to have strengthened their hands in the transfer window, I have to ask what United were doing. Yes, it is Solskjaer’s job to pick the team, formulate the tactics, and motivate the players, although they should require no motivating whatsoever to go out and play for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
But when I made my forecast last month, it was based on the reasonable assumption that United would fortify their squad with key additions, notably a mobile centre-back, a worldclass No. 9, and a top- class playmaker.
Two or three from Kalidou Koulibaly, Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane and Raul Jimenez would have shown they meant business. They would have been the names on my shopping list.
Instead, at the last minute, United brought in 33-year-old expected to see unveiled in a red shirt simply didn’t materialise.
If the team Solskjaer put out last week was very different from the one he envisaged in the close season, I feel sorry for him.
Because if those players continue to ‘perform’ like they did against Tottenham, they will get their manager the sack.
Defensively, United were an embarrassment against Spurs. For all six goals, you can ask serious questions of their communication, concentration, positional sense, marking and, worst of all, their desire.
I like Harry Maguire but at the moment he does not look like the world’s most expensive defender.
Luke Shaw’s tackle to wipe out Lucas Moura might have been forgivable as “taking one for the team” if it was 1-1 but at 6-1 down it was gratuitous and lazy.
Paul Pogba’s challenge for the penalty was mind-boggling. And it doesn’t help, after you have just been hit for six, when a star player comes out and says it’s his “dream” to play for Real Madrid one day. That’s just disrespectful and unnecessary.
On current form, Pogba would not even get in a top-six Premier League side, let alone the reigning La Liga champions.
Where do United go from here? Well, reminding the players how they reached this level would be a start.
But they have a week to sort out the shambles before a difficult game at Newcastle.
Whose fault is it – the board, the manager, or the players?
Take your pick, but if it leads to a good man like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer losing his job, nobody comes out of it with any credit.
Based on this defensive horror show against Spurs, they’ll be lucky to finish in the top six
Edinson Cavani ( below, middle) – a fantastic player with a great goalscoring record, but brought in two or three years too late.
Brazilian defender Alex Telles (below, right) arrived on deadline day and midfielder Donny van de Beek ( below, left) is a very good player, although I would question whether United needed strengthening in that part of the pitch.
Before Solskjaer is thrown to the wolves, I would like to ask this: Did Manchester United’s hierarchy sign the leading targets on the manager’s shopping list?
One by one, from Grealish signing a new contract at Aston Villa to Borussia Dortmund playing hardball over the asking price for Sancho, the names we