Long, cold winter for Solskjaer and United
IT’S autumn in the UK. In Bournemouth on Saturday it was wet and windy, the sort of conditions that give defenders palpitations. At Manchester United it’s already winter.
Their 1-0 loss to Bournemouth at the weekend was a case study in all that’s gone wrong in their season so far: defensive fragility (despite expensive reinforcement), a lacklustre absence of intensity, and an inability to create enough clear-cut chances.
The clocks went back in the UK the previous weekend and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to turn them back all the way to the Sir Alex Ferguson era. But the last few years have proved how difficult it is to sustain greatness.
This is not a commanding United side of the sort that used to intimidate opponents before they had even left the dressing room and Solskjaer is no Ferguson. The current squad are not without talent but they are not overendowed with character either.
Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand – these were all natural born winners. They still suffered defeat on occasion but never meekly. Such players would have demanded more from their teammates in a game like Saturday’s.
I’ve been a critic in the past but Scott McTominay is starting to look the most assured leader at Old Trafford; it’s a large burden to carry on inexperienced shoulders. Harry Maguire was brought in to steady a shaky defence but hasn’t looked entirely surefooted himself.
Rashford has greatness in him but it is deep within him. It only comes to the surface inconsistently and erratically. Less than a week ago he drew justifiable comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo after his free kick against Chelsea.
He had some lovely touches against Bournemouth; there’s no doubting his touch, poise, and pace but he has a tendency to drift out of games. Having done so he rarely seems to find his way back.
As a duo, Rashford and Anthony Martial have the potential to be for Manchester United what Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are for Liverpool. The United pair don’t have a player with the guile of Roberto Firmino to assist them though.
A draw with Liverpool followed by wins against Partizan Belgrade, Norwich, and Chelsea had prompted talk of a Manchester United revival. That assessment now looks premature and unduly optimistic.
Before the Bournemouth game Gary Neville said: “There has been a mini-revival, but I don’t think Ole will be sat comfortable in his chair. I think he realises he is one game away from the clouds circling again.”
That game has now been played and lost. The clouds have returned quicker than the still injured Paul Pogba.
So uncomfortable is Solskjaer’s chair becoming that he spent much of Saturday’s game stood on the touchline cajoling his players with an agitated look on his face.
A note was passed to Jesse Lingard. Presumably it contained tactical instructions but they must have been written in ink as invisible as Andreas Pereira’s contribution to the game.
The manager’s post-match assessment was honest: “If you want to get into the top four you need to win games like this. It is a step back for us today, but we need to shake it off and go again.”
Manchester United cannot afford to be in denial about the scale of the problems they currently face.
They have a manager and a squad that don’t look capable of finishing in the top four. Another season outside the Champions League would be dismal for a club of such stature.
Solskjaer has been unable to shake off the sense of decline that’s descended on the club.
The clouds are gathering for a long winter.
Craig Wilkie. Football Writer. Football Coach. Football Fan.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Star