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The last time Manchester United went four seasons without winning a trophy, there were sheets in the Stretford End calling for the manager to be fired.
In the end, things did not turn out so badly for Sir Alex Ferguson, with the board resisting the temptation to say ‘ta ra Fergie’ despite a long wait for another cabinet trophy.
Two and a half of those four seasons came with Ferguson in charge, but the truth is, United weren’t a winning machine back then anyway. There had only been three FA Cup wins and a Charity Shield in 21 years to furnish Old Trafford’s trophy cabinet.
Times have changed since then. Now United are expected to be producing silverware, even if Ferguson’s departure remains a gulf waiting to be filled.
It speaks volumes about the success of modern superclubs that the seven years since Ferguson’s retirement have resulted in an FA Cup, a League Cup, a Europa League, and two Community Shields. Even when he’s wrong, United have done enough to keep the trophies coming.
But since that emotional Europa League success against Ajax in May 2017 there has been a drought. Three seasons have passed without a trophy and this season is the fourth. The ‘ta ra Solskjaer’ posters are unlikely to be unveiled yet (these days the anger is reserved for the owners and Ed Woodward), but a trophy this season would be an important stage for the Norwegian.
We are approaching the middle of the three-year contract handed out to Solskjaer after his impressive audition as temporary boss and, for the moment, I wouldn’t say an extension is a certainty. United have been looking good in recent weeks, but the mind doesn’t need to go too far back to find moments when the former striker has been under pressure this season.
The end of this campaign is likely to be an ideal time to take stock, to assess where Solskjaer stands at United, and if he can bring a trophy to any such evaluation, it would be a significant bargaining chip.
There were opportunities last season, of course. Solskjaer led United to three semi-finals, but then watched Manchester City, Chelsea and Sevilla fade away.
Solskjaer insists lessons have been learned from those setbacks and his team could have a chance to prove it this season. They are already in the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup with a trip to Goodison Park two days before Christmas and can secure qualification from a difficult Champions League group with a game to spare by scoring a point against Paris Saint- Germain at Old Trafford. on Wednesday.
United will kick off their FA Cup campaign in January and, whispering it under their breath, could still have a say in the title race.
We all know this season will be unpredictable and the title race seems to be open for now. At this stage of the previous three seasons, there have already been teams that break out at the top, but that’s not the case now.
Trailing 2-0 at halftime in Southampton on Sunday, United appeared to remain 14th in the Premier League table. About 45 minutes later they were in eighth position and with a game in hand at Burnley to come, they could be two points behind Tottenham and Liverpool at the top.
There are only eight points separating first and 13 at this stage and the title race is likely to have many more twists and turns to come. An element of consistency will be key and, after notching four straight wins within normal time for the first time since Solskjaer’s first eight games in early 2019, United may be starting to find some of that.
They are still fifth favorites for the title for a reason, but then stranger things have happened in 2020. Even if a title challenge is still wishful thinking, a trophy of some description has to be a realistic goal for Solskjaer this season.
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