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Roy Keane can always be relied upon to tell you what he is like, which explains why he was talking about Manchester United’s current woes before an England vs Wales international game that didn’t feature United players in the starting lineups.
And the Irishman certainly didn’t disappoint with his frank views on United’s poor start to the season and what will happen next.
“The performance against Spurs was disgraceful,” said the former United captain. ‘Shame on the badge with that performance.
‘[There were] Too many bluffers and ultimately these players will cost Ole his job.
‘They threw the previous manager [Jose Mourinho] under the bus. They will do the same with Ole.
As United’s campaign in the Premier League began with a surprise 3-1 home loss to Crystal Palace, a barely deserved late win at Brighton and then one of their most embarrassing defeats in history – a 6-1 win at Old Trafford for Tottenham – Keane’s words could be prescient.
He’s right that a number of regulars on the team aren’t doing their best and if things don’t improve, Solskjaer will be the one to pay the price.
So who are the United ‘braggarts’, to borrow Keane’s term, that could cost Solskjaer his job in early-season evidence?
PAUL POGBA
When football returned after the lockdown, it seemed very briefly that Pogba was not only fully fit again, but genuinely focused on doing his best for United.
He played a major role in United’s form after the lockout which saw an ongoing unbeaten streak that spanned 19 matches in all competitions.
But this season, the standards have already slipped. Pogba was sloppy in possession in the loss to Palace and was finally left for Donny van de Beek after an hour.
It was even worse against Tottenham, losing every 50-50 match they participated in and allowing frustrations to spill over as they clumsily conceded the penalty for Tottenham’s sixth.
His body language was horrible and while he wasn’t alone in knocking down tools, it seemed like Pogba just wanted to be anywhere other than Old Trafford.
You’d think a bit of humility was required, but Pogba then went on international service with France and has once again come out and said that his dream is to play for Real Madrid.
There are an ever-growing number of United fans who would happily carry the £ 89 million man from Manchester to Madrid right away.
Out of contract next summer anyway, Pogba has been continually pleased by Solskjaer without returning the favor and the club should cut its losses and sell this January.
The big question is: based on his recent performances, would Real want him?
HARRY MAGUIRE
Everything has gone wrong for Maguire from a positive finish to last season when he looked like a United captain.
There was the drama of his arrest and trial during his summer vacation in Greece, leading to Maguire being found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery, and being given a suspended prison term of 21 months.
That ordeal, not to mention United’s brief change of course between seasons after his Europa League career, appears to have taken a toll on Maguire and has been a bad start by his standards.
Maguire seemed shaken by the pace of Palace’s players during the first game of the season and they almost seemed to target him knowing that he is not the fastest defender.
His performance against the Spurs was even worse. It started when his poor rear header led Erik Lamela to score the equalizer, an error in judgment that was compounded when he fought Luke Shaw trying to clear the ball.
He was also guilty, directly or indirectly, of Tottenham’s second and fourth goals, although it is fair to say that no one covered himself in glory.
In the middle, Maguire played well in the win at Brighton, putting himself in the right position to force a United draw and then win the penalty in the 100th minute.
Hopefully it’s just a problem because Solskjaer will be looking for his captain to get United back on track after the international break.
VICTOR LINDELOF
Even when United won games regularly in the spring and summer, questions remained about Lindelof’s abilities.
He has long been seen as a weak link in the heart of the defense and, unfortunately, there has been nothing so far this season to change that view.
The Swedish defender had a real nightmare in the Crystal Palace match, although he was unlucky enough to concede a penalty.
Wilfried Zaha, Andros Townsend and co ruthlessly exhibited a susceptibility to fast runs and quick movements, while their ability to win aerial duels has been questioned in the past.
Solskjaer removed Lindelof from his team for Eric Bailly for the Tottenham game, a change many saw as highly anticipated.
But Bailly’s outright surprise against the Spurs doesn’t leave Solskjaer any closer to finding his best central defensive partner.
And the brutal reality is that, with Chelsea, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig all on United’s roster of games, their already porous bottom line will be tested to the limit.
If United don’t win any of these games and continue to send goals at the current alarming rate, then Solskjaer will really be under pressure.
LUKE SHAW
Shaw raised some eyebrows when he left after the Palace game and said United was in dire need of new signings.
Many said you have to be careful what you wish for and United duly brought in another left back in the form of Porto’s Alex Telles.
And in evidence of Shaw’s performances so far, it will be Telles entering the squad directly at Newcastle United next weekend.
Against Palace, Shaw was to blame for Townsend’s goal early on after failing to pursue his career and against Spurs he was outmatched time and again by Lamela and Serge Aurier.
The embarrassing audio that emerged of David de Gea yelling at Shaw but causing no reaction when Tottenham scored their fourth goal only added to the impression of a player out of reach.
Shaw was always a convenient scapegoat for José Mourinho, but problems continue to crop up even now and surely Telles will take his place on the side immediately in a new bottom line commotion.
DAVID DE GEA
Speaking of De Gea, scrutiny on the Spanish goalkeeper continues to mount after a series of costly mistakes last season.
He made three mistakes that led to Premier League goals last season plus another against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final.
That prompted Solskjaer to keep Dean Henderson at Old Trafford rather than send the ambitious 23-year-old on loan.
The additional competition should, in theory, focus De Gea’s mind and hopefully eliminate those mistakes. Only time will tell.
He has already missed 11 goals in just three games, but the defenders in front of him have been just as guilty, if not more.
But you can imagine it now. The big Champions League game or a major league clash at Old Trafford in a couple of months. De Gea’s loose ball leads to the winning goal. The camera slicing through Solskjaer’s mortified face in the shelter. The early morning call to Ed Woodward’s office …
ANTHONY MARTIAL
While most of United’s weakness at the moment is clearly further back down the field, it would be a mistake to overlook Martial’s stupidity against Tottenham.
He put off his teammates by deciding to lash out at Lamela. The red card changed the game and United never recovered. Players surely know that every time you raise your hand to an opponent’s face, you will be in trouble.
Gary Neville on Sky described it as ‘soft’ and maybe Lamela should have gone too, but why react in the first place?
It’s a shame because United now won’t have Martial for games at a crucial time. It also came after Martial had had a surprisingly smooth start to the season, having been excellent in the latter part of the latter.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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