It’s horrific. It’s worrying. For Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United, there’s no place to hide. Another week, another demonstration of the growing gulf between Man United and the division’s elite teams. They got thrashed by the same scoreline as a team who got promoted this season and were playing under a new manager for the first time. Like Watford, United were completely blown off the pitch. They were torn to shreds, helplessly chasing shadows as Jurgen Klopp’s men executed their game plan to perfection. United’s game plan was hard to comprehend.
The season started with levels of optimism never seen before since Fergie’s departure. They had finished second, signed Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, and put five past Leeds United on the opening day. As if that wasn’t enough, Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival on deadline day surely had every United fan dreaming of silverware. But fast forward a few weeks, and United are languishing in seventh, already eight points behind leaders Chelsea.
In hindsight, the gap is far wider than the eight points between United and the top-three. You look at Man City, Liverpool or Chelsea, you see a game plan, an identity. A reassurance that they will not make silly mistakes. With Man United, you see none of that. They just go out on the field and wait for their moment to arrive. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. Unfortunately for them, those moments are not arriving as regularly as last season.
Winning games with poor performances and relying on moments of magic points towards a team’s ability of grinding out results, but for title winning teams it is an exception not a norm. For Man United, it has become the norm. They produce disjointed incoherent performances star dusted by match-winning moments from either one of Mason Greenwood, Bruno Fernandes, Ronaldo or Paul Pogba. Such a formula can at best fetch you a top-four finish, not a title.
Theatre of Dreams turning into Theatre of Nightmares
Gone are the Glory-Glory Sir Alex Ferguson days. Gone are the days when Old Trafford was a fortress. There was a time when United simply didn’t lose at home. Teams used to visit Old Trafford in trepidation, but these days they arrive with expectation. This season already, Aston Villa, Everton and most painfully, Liverpool have left the red half of Manchester with points.
Since the start of last season, Manchester United have lost eight games at home. In that time, Liverpool have lost six, Chelsea five, and Man City four. They went 29 matches unbeaten away from home, yes, that’s a great achievement, but the mark of a true title winning team is their home form. Take a look at the home record of any of the past Premier League champions (Man United themselves), and you’ll see they make their home grounds fortresses. If Man United are to become a force again, they need to restore the fear factor at Old Trafford again.
What about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?
Surely, this has to be it. Ole was already treading on thin ice and losing to the main enemy in that manner further heaps the misery. His team bought him some time with an encouraging second half comeback against Atalanta, but the feel-good factor evaporated within five minutes on Sunday. His team haven’t shown a tangible improvement in three years, despite the star power, and United have gone four years without any kind of silverware. Such standards are unacceptable for a club like Manchester United, who were spoilt with silverware in the Sir Alex Ferguson era. There’s only so much your reputation can do for you; time is surely running out for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.