Five Reasons Why Ole Must Get the Sack
Halloween might have gone last week, but the horror show performances continue at Old Trafford for Man United this season.
Yesterday afternoon, United were cut to ribbons by their noisy neighbours. The result was not what had people talking though. Rather, it was their insipid performance along with the sizeable gap in quality between them and yet another one of their fiercest rivals.
From the second Michael Oliver blew his whistle, United were outthought, outfought, outclassed, and quite simply outdone by Man City, who barely broke a sweat. The champions barely played at 60% of their best, but that did not stop from them mercilessly maiming and mauling United. It was almost as if they were playing a championship team at home.
Just how bad would this vicious beatdown have been had City played at their best? It is an incredibly scary thought. One that should set the alarm bells off.
As for Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the writing has been on the wall for weeks. Many people prophesised that superior, top class opposition teams would slice through United like a hot knife through butter with considerable ease. Those prophecies were fulfilled in the last two weeks.
The bar has been set so low that United have gone from being possible title contenders to trying to finish in the top four this season in just a matter of weeks. This is in spite of them spending an arm and a leg in the transfer window and having a star-studded squad.
Solskjær once again leads the race for the next manager to get the sack. According to ‘William Hill’, the Norwegian is the odds on favourite at 4/7. On the other hand, ‘Bet Victor’ has Ole as the favourite at 4/6.
So, why should Solskjær get axed? In case anyone has forgotten, here are some reminders:
1. The Defence
Even though United have spent a whopping £200 million on their defence, their backline is a serious cause for concern.
United are ranked in 15th place with just two clean sheets all season. Only five clubs (Burnley, Leeds, Leicester, Newcastle, and Watford) have less clean sheets than the Red Devils.
Furthermore, United have failed to keep a clean sheet at home all season and have conceded 11 goals at Old Trafford in just six games.
United have failed to keep a clean sheet in roughly 83% of their games in all competitions since April 2021.
Their defence is ranked in 13th place in terms of goals conceded after just 11 games played in the league this season. They have also conceded the highest number of goals in the top half of the table.
It is anyone’s guess as to why their defending is still so calamitous after spending a fortune on it. But the blame ultimately lies at the feet of the manager.
2. Decision Making
The sign of a great manager is his ability to constantly make the right decisions, especially when his team have their backs against the wall.
Time and time again though, Ole has got it completely and utterly wrong. In terms of bad decisions, Solskjær’s rap sheet is extensive.
In the Europa League final against Villarreal, Solskjær made his first substation in the 99th minute despite being able to make five subs.
He continued playing an out of form David de Gea in 2018/19 and 2019/20 over Sergio Romero, who had 39 clean sheets in 61 games, the highest clean sheet rate (0.64%) from any keeper at United with more than 10 appearances.
Solskjær continues to play Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Luke Shaw over Eric Bailly, Diogo Dalot, and Alex Telles even though it is painfully obvious that the former group of players are out of form.
Donny van de Beek is a much better player than both Fred and Scott McTominay both individually and combined. Nonetheless, the Norwegian continues to snub the Dutchman.
In the Manchester Derby yesterday, it was crystal clear that his 3–5–2 formation was not working. João Cancelo and Kyle Walker were causing all kind of problems for United down the channels. However, Solksjær failed to make a tactical change and allowed the threats to persist.
Maguire was given the captain’s arm band less than six months after signing for the club. A decision that raised eyebrows especially since Maguire has won nothing in his career and has been relegated four times.
In their Champions League home game against PSG last season, Fred received a yellow card late in the first half. The Brazilian continued flirting with a red card but Solksjær failed to take him off. PSG then doubled their lead in the 69th minute and a minute later, Fred was sent off.
PSG went on to win the game 3–1, a result which ultimately played a role in United being relegated from the Champions League to the Europa League.
It is one bad decision after an another and it is solid proof that he is unequipped to manage at this level.
3. Trophies
The 20-time champions have had 12 attempts to win silverware under Solskjær and they have failed every time. For an elite club like Man United, this is substandard.
It has been four years since United last won a trophy and based on their current form, it looks like that drought is not going to end anytime soon.
The fact that they slip at the final hurdle when it really matters shows that Ole does not have what it takes to push them to the next level. Thus, a change at Old Trafford is needed, especially if United want to avoid longer droughts that clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal, and Spurs have experienced in recent years.
4. No More Excuses
Solksjær has had everything asset that a manager can only dream of — substantial funds (£441 million), support form the board, time, club legends on his side, the backing of the media, you name it. But the results are quite simply inadequate.
United currently sit in sixth place in the league, nine points behind the leaders, Chelsea, after just 11 games.
In their last 12 games, United have recorded four wins, two draws, and six losses.
With the resources that Solksjær has, this is below par. This sort of form is what is expected of a mid-table club, not a club as enormous as Manchester United.
Their next five games are against Watford (away), Villarreal (away), Chelsea (away), Arsenal (home), and Crystal Palace (home). Based on their recent performances as well as their form, two wins at the least looks very unlikely, which is absolutely mind-boggling.
5. No Identity, Plan or System
Ole has been at the wheel for roughly three years; yet, there are still question marks over his tactics. During this time, he has failed to create an identity.
How is it that he has been there this long but still has not given United an identity? Especially when managers such as Brendan Rodgers, Thomas Tuchel, Patrick Vieira, and David Moyes have done so at their respective clubs in a much shorter time and with far less resources.
No one knows what United’s style of play is. They usually score goals through moments of individual brilliance; it is almost as if they are playing FIFA Street. The attacking players seemingly just freestyle their way to goals, but at this level this is insufficient.
There is no cohesion, no plan, no philosophy, no structure, nothing. In their last two home games, some players were sitting back whereas other players were pressing. They are called ‘Man United’ but there was no unity whatsoever on the field in both games.
This has been the case for nearly three years and it cannot continue. Something must change, especially if United want to compete at the top level and reduce the deficit between them and both City and Liverpool.
Solskjær came to Old Trafford and steadied the ship after a rocky ride under José Mourinho. He has gradually improved United, but the reality is that he has taken them as far as he can. It is time for a change.
If United want to go back to competing for titles and winning silverware, then sacking Solskjær is something they need to do immediately. Failure to do so could lead to a further backslide to the point where United miss out on the top four, which is something that they simply cannot afford to do.
