Ole’s at the wheel but the road ahead remains bumpy for United
IF things don’t work out for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager of Manchester United, he should definitely get a job in PR. Of all the impressive things he’s done since arriving back at Old Trafford, his PR game has been the best.
In just a few short months he’s gone from a rather unlikely choice as interim manager to apparently the only possible contender for the job on a permanent basis. The fans love him, the players love him, and the media loves him and he now finds himself in his “dream job”.
Winning over the media is one thing, winning games is another and he can point to an impressive record on the latter front too. But the real hard work starts now.
On Saturday I watched Fulham vs Manchester City followed by Manchester United vs Watford. The gap between the Manchester clubs is a chasm. United are chasing fourth place in the Premier League, City are chasing the quadruple.
Against Watford, United were second best for large parts of the game, struggled to retain possession, and got dominated in midfield. The enigmatic Pogba was once again more Instagram than star man.
After the match, Solskjaer spoke of possibly needing to change Pobga’s position to a deeper role in a bid to make him more influential. Didn’t Mourinho already try that?
Last week Louis van Gaal gave an interview in which he suggested that the big change at Old Trafford since Solskjaer’s arrival is the results and not much else.
The Dutchman said: “Now there is another coach who parks the bus and plays on the counter. The main difference between Mourinho and Solskjaer is that Solskjaer is winning.”
That’s a slightly harsh assessment, especially from a man who struggled to get the Man U bus out of second gear during his time in charge. It is true though that while Ole has dramatically improved results, performances overall have not improved to anything like the same extent.
The Champions League win over PSG is the defining result so far of Solskjaer’s tenure and understandably so. But the first-leg defeat at home in that tie – in which United were completely and utterly outclassed – is the game that best indicates the current standing of this group of players.
The squad need to be strengthened and that’s one area in which Solskjaer remains unproven. Cardiff fans will tell you that his dealings in the transfer market were considerably more miss than hit. Remember Jo Inge Berget?
Solskjaer said this week that through playing the Football Manager video game he “learned a lot about football. I have learned a lot about players, especially young talent.” There’s no restart button in the game he’s playing now.
The summer transfer window will tell us what Solskjaer’s learned about buying and selling players. A new centre half and a centreforward will probably be the two key priorities.
Then there remains the Alexis Sanchez conundrum to solve. It won’t be easy to sell him in his current form so Solskjaer must find a way to get more out of him or take the decision to sign a replacement.
United will never struggle to attract players but even they will find it easier if they have Champions League football to offer to potential signings.
In two weeks Solskjaer will take his team to the Nou Camp, scene of his greatest-ever moment as a player. He and all United fans wanna go back, back to 1999. Ole’s at the wheel, but it’s a long and difficult road to get back to there.