A very dejected Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stood in front of the BT Sport reporter with a blank look on his face, digesting the 6-1 loss at home against a manager who had been let down by the board in similar fashion. Ole’s mood was very different at the start of August when he stood at the King Power, grinning like a school kid. The players were happy, they were playing some excellent football and United were back in the Champions League.
Needless to say, the club have not delivered any of the priority positions since. The start to this season has been nothing short of a nightmare. Wilfred Zaha made that back four look like a pub-team’s defence. Brighton played us off the park, again exposing that back four and having a really bad day in front of goal. And Tottenham. Well. Yes, the players, the manager, the coaching staff, everyone has been hung out to dry. The Pochettino rumours have re-surfaced. The results haven’t helped and every other club around us have strengthened. So what next for Ole? He has been chucked into the deep end. Can he swim? Will he survive? Here’s a look at what needs to change for Ole to stand a chance.
Well, first on to the things on the pitch. The team shape is AWFUL. Just watching Luke Shaw on that third Tottenham goal gives me heart palpitations. This is a results driven business. And like Arteta and Jose have shown us, teams can use these empty stadiums to their advantage. United need to keep adding the three points week in week out. Ideally, United would need to take games to their oppositions when they’d play the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal in the league. However, if I were Ole, I’d take to the back 5, sit deep and use the pace of Marcus, Tony and Dan on the break. Especially with the backline looking as shaky as it has ever looked, Solskjaer could perhaps use Shaw as a left sided centre half and use summer signing Alex Telles as a wing-back to unleash the Brazilian’s full potential. The problem then arises with Aaron Wan Bissaka on the right. Here’s where I’d like to use Brandon or Ethan Laird. The second advice I’d give Ole would be, use Pogba and Bruno in alternate line-ups. They’re both forward thinking players who’re more suited to the creative job as an advanced 8 or a 10. Another thing would be using Edinson Cavani. The club’s new number 7. The man brings experience and a different dynamic to the United attack. A bit like Giroud in Chelsea’s 5-3-2 feeding off Reece James and Marcos Alonso as wing-backs.
Furthermore, the Harry Maguire captaincy issue. The man’s not a captain. He’s a good centre-half. Not a captain! If Ole has to survive, he’ll have to make these tough decisions. Paul Pogba is being used out of position. The fringe players, the likes of Lingard, Mctominay, James, Mata, Ighalo, there are occasions and formations to use all these players. Ole has to be tough in making some calls and receptive to constructive criticism. Another tough call would be letting go of his coaching staff. Sir Alex was always changing assistants and coaches to not only keep things fresh but also to be competitive in the current climate. It’s a shame that a team like Brighton or Leeds is better coached in every department. Ball movement, attacking patterns, team shape, pressing, etc. No more Mr.Nice Guy!
Proven managers, serial winners like Jose and Van Gaal have failed in the job, I wouldn’t blame Ole if he does too. It’s the regime. However, his understanding of the club’s culture, the youth, the academy and man-management is better than all of the above mentioned managers. A massively failed transfer window and off-field issues like Greenwood’s and Maguire’s haven’t helped.
Good luck, Ole! I believe in you.
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