Topsy- turvy Ole is showing faults
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER’S head continues to spin like a top as he clings to his seat on Manchester United’s tragic roundabout.
The Festive cheer at Old Trafford remains on hold and no one is popping the champagne corks just yet, because there is nothing to celebrate.
You win some and lose some in football – and no team personifies this old saying more than United.
In the space of just over three days, Solskjaer has seen his side produce a thrilling comeback to beat Southampton, before finding themselves on the wrong end of a trouncing by Paris St- Germain in the Champions League.
Just a few weeks ago, United were in command of
Group H and certainties to reach the knockout stages, but defeat at RB Leipzig next Tuesday could see them drop into the Europa League.
A thumping 3- 1 win at Everton a month ago might just have saved Solskjaer from the sack, but next time out United limped to a 1- 0 home triumph over West Brom.
Nobody knows what is coming next from a United side that heads to in- form West Ham tomorrow.
But the feeling inside the corridors of power at Old Trafford is that Solskjaer remains more than capable of securing another top- four finish. So what?
These are not the standards United should be aspiring to.
But while the domestic table can fluctuate and be misleading due to these unprecedented times, there is nowhere to hide in the Champions League.
The Norwegian will be under the spotlight again when United go to Germany and midfielder Scott Mctominay ( inset) insists they have to get the job done.
“You can’t just go there and play for a point,” said Mctominay. “You have to go and approach it like you want to win – and that’s wha what we’re going to do.”
Wednesday’s l loss to PSG exposed the fact United remain a re reflection of their man manager – someone one who is still naive and inexperienced at the highest level.
Despite needing a draw to reach the last 16, Solskjaer deployed a formation and tactics that left United exposed to the lethal counter- attacking threats of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, while his refusal to substitute Fred – a red card waiting to happen – was unfathomable.
Solskjaer finds himself having to deal with a mess of his own making, because failure in Leipzig is unthinkable for a club the size of United.