Manchester United sacked Ole Gunnar Solksjaer following another humiliating defeat at the hands of Watford. United are on a terrible run of form, having suffered five Premier League in the last seven outings. That run leaves them 12 points behind league leaders Chelsea and with a negative goal difference. It’s not just the defeats, but the manner of them that makes a change imperative. United have been quite easily outclassed of late and do not deliver commanding performances even in victories.
With Ole no longer at the wheel, it’s time to go through his stabilizing yet trophy less three years at the helm.
Replacing Jose Mourinho in 2018/19
Ole replaced Jose Mourinho in December 2018 following a 3-1 defeat to rivals Liverpool. His first match in-charge was against Cardiff City, a club he managed in 2014. United won 5-1, scoring five for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure. He won his first eight matches in all competitions, the run ended with a 2-2 draw at home to Burnley. Ole’s first defeat came at home to PSG in Champions League round of 16.
But the honeymoon phase started ending with a 2-0 defeat at Arsenal. United finished the campaign with just two wins from eight and suffered three defeats in the final five. The last one ironically against Cardiff City. Manchester United finished sixth and reached quarter-finals of the Champions League and FA Cup.
2019/20 – Manchester United finish third thanks to Bruno Fernandes
In his first full season, after a sub-standard first-half, January signing Bruno Fernandes inspired the club to a third-placed finish. United did well against the big clubs and recorded a memorable double over local rivals Man City. After a 2-0 loss to Liverpool at Anfield in January 2020, Manchester United would go on a 29-match unbeaten run in the competition. The run was ended by Leicester in October this year. United reached the semi-finals of the three cup competitions they were part of.
2020/21 – Somehow, Manchester United finish second
The 2020/21 season began horribly for the Red Devils. A poor start was headlined by their joint heaviest defeat in Premier League, a 6-1 loss at home to Tottenham. In December, a 3-2 loss to RB Leipzig confined them to the knockout stages of the Europa League. They were knocked out of the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, making it four failures at the semi-final stage for Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. But that streak was ended when he guided the club to the Europa League final. United lost the final to Villarreal and also finished second in the Premier League. After a poor start, Ole steadied the ship and guided Manchester United to second, overseeing impressive wins over Leeds United and Southampton. However, they failed to pick any silverware for the third successive season.
2021/22 – Optimism to nightmare in a flash
Buoyed by finishing runners up to Man City, summer signings Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo triggered genuine optimism around Old Trafford. The first international break saw United top the table, but things quickly went South from there. Defeats here, there and everywhere leave Man United out of the EFL Cup, well out of the title race, and relying on Ronaldo in the Champions League. A season which began with so much promise transpired into a mess in double quick time.
Despite ending his managerial reign with a whimper, Ole’s good work must not be ignored. Manchester United were in a mess when he took charge. He stabilized things, and slowly made progress. Finishing third and then second showed improvement but in terms of performances, the graph was a downward one. United lacked an identity. They lacked a playing style. They didn’t approach matches with any gameplan. Instead, United relied on their big names to produce one or two moments of brilliance to win matches. When those big names failed, United failed. That became the theme late on and due to the lack of a plan B, it costed Ole dearly.
Ole’s league record compared to others in the post-Fergie era?
This is how the four permanent managers fared since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013:
- David Moyes – Played 34, Won 17, Win % = 50%
- Louis Van Gaal – Played 76, Won 39, Win% = 51.3%
- Jose Mourinho – Played 93, Won 50, Win% = 53.7%
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – Played 109, Won 56, Win% = 51.4%
As you can see, all four have a comparable win %. Perhaps that highlights the lack of a solid plan from the Manchester United hierarchy. It doesn’t look like they will win the Premier League this season, that will make it nine years without the league title. For a club of their stature, that’s inacceptable.