Should Manchester United Stick With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?

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Manchester United have gone on their international break and there will be two weeks between the 1-1 draw against Everton and the next Premier League encounter, when the Red Devils will go to the King Power Stadium in Leicester. They are sitting in fourth in the league standings, which is not bad, but is also not ideal, considering Man United had one of the easier runs at the start of the new campaign.

There was an early exit from the League Cup already and a shocking loss at the start of the Champions League against Young Boys. The feeling around the team is slowly deteriorating, at least in the media, as it seems that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still unable to make this team play at a much more progressive, organised way. It all still feels that the Devils are playing on individual brilliance, without the real structure and the performances, even when United win, are hardly ever that convincing. A look at the wins against Villarreal, West Ham and Wolverhampton are clear examples of that. So, should Manchester United firmly stick with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm or should the new managers be looked upon to possibly come at some point in the future?

Solskjaer’s United Are Tactically Rigid Without Clear Structure

Solskjaer came to United almost three years ago, at the end of 2018 and he permanently made that role his own in late March 2019. Since then, there was plenty of money invested in the team, the ship has been steadied and the team has improved. But has that been enough? This summer alone, Man United invested 140 million euros – at last, most fans will say, some important signings were made. But there still does not seem to be clear progress, especially considering this team is one of the most expensive in the entire Premier League – not just in terms of transfer fees, but wages as well.

Solskjaer’s Man United could still evolve during the season and this coming month and the really tough schedule could tell us more about that possibly happening. But with everything we have seen, Man United are a tactically rigid team with no clear way how to play in attack. Sounds odd? Because it is.

Manchester United Need To Evolve

Solskjaer has been unable to give more variance to this team than to simply playing 4-2-3-1. That makes United predictable, but also tells us about the coaching qualities of him and his staff, since every time a 4-3-3 has been explored, the team struggled. Man United do not have a clear structure, their midfield usually has the role of putting energetic defensive midfielders on the pitch, who are limited with the ball at their feet, and way too often this team has to rely on individual players trying to make something happen, rather than having clear attacking processes that can make things much easier for everyone. Solskjaer’s Man United are not playing football at the level you would expect of a team that has the players he has at his disposal. However, the board might be eager to keep him for longer at the club, unsure how much turmoil new changes would bring. And at this stage of the season, that is still fine. Solskjaer’s best results at Man United have come when he and his team were with their backs to the wall. But Man United cannot always be in such positions in order to perform. This Man United needs to evolve. Hopefully in the coming months…

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