This May Be The Beginning Of The End – NRK Sport – Sports News, Results And Broadcast Schedule

There are different types of losses in soccer. Some cost you three points, others cost you your job.

For Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the swoon against Istanbul Başakşehir on Wednesday could be one of the last.

The warning lights are now on. In isolation, the start of the season for Manchester United is cause for concern, if not necessarily an immediate change of manager.

Solskjær’s problem is that United know that one of the best coaches in the world, and the most suitable candidate for this particular club, is ready to take over.

Mauricio Pochettino is unemployed. He is motivated, rested and wants the job.

And it won’t be around forever.

Has laid the foundation

So it’s no wonder the pressure on Solskjær has suddenly become so great.

Although Pochettino has been behind the scenes for a year, Ed Woodward and United management have supported Solskjær. A new change of coach would be humiliating for a board that has received strong criticism, and rightly so, for lack of sports competition.

But now they have had Solskjær for two years. And the start of the season has been lazy enough to defend a change.

After all, this was the season United had to go from rebuilding the stable to challenging the best. Solskjær had improved the internal culture, brought out the older players and brought in fresh blood. Phase one was complete.

United it is Better now than when Solskjær replaced José Mourinho in December 2018. Without a doubt.

But this does not help much if Solskjær cannot build on this foundation. The stability needed to win big titles is still lacking.

This is what is so critical.

To persist

In just two stints under Solskjær, United have consistently played as a superior team. One was early last year, when he had just taken over. The second was towards the end of last season.

From early February to the end of the season, United had the most points of any team in the league. This indicated that the quality was there and that Solskjær could lead the team to the top.

But now the team has stalled again. The fact that United did not have a proper start to the season can no longer explain the losses. And while Woodward remained on the transfer market this summer, Solskjær has a stable that is capable of much more than it offers.

Some would say that the reactions to United’s results are hysterical. A little over two weeks ago they beat Paris Saint-Germain at home, a team that reached the Champions League final in August. On Wednesday of last week they beat Leipzig 5-0 at home.

That day, Solskjær looked like a genius. Then United lost at home to Arsenal.

And then came the explosion in Turkey.

Such fluctuations have led Solskjær’s critics to point out his most obvious weakness: that he is unable to direct a clear attack pattern to take down teams that are short.

The footsteps of the United forwards had to romp against PSG and Leipzig, two mainly offensive teams. It was especially helpful that United scored the first goal in both games. But as soon as they lost to Arsenal and Istanbul, they seemed confused.

This spring, Bruno Fernandes solved much of this problem. But when the resourceful playmaker isn’t at his best, United all too often get stuck.

This has caused a lack of stability that makes it impossible to win big titles. Instead, United is ranked 15th in the league with seven points from six games.

So it is not surprising that the coach has to answer questions about his future.

Comedy night

Especially not when bringing the way United lost in Turkey. Against Arsenal it was an even game where a mistake by Paul Pogba was decisive.

Against Istanbul, some of the highlights could have been the circus music.

The first goal, where United’s hindquarters are deep into the opponent’s half and veteran Demba Ba runs and scores, would be embarrassing even for a corporate team.

When these horror scenarios are combined with the defeat to Arsenal, the goalless home match to Chelsea and the collapses against Tottenham (1-6) and Crystal Palace (1-3), dark clouds begin to gather over Solskjær .

And as if the storm didn’t seem threatening enough from before, Pochettino visited the Sky Sports studio on Monday night.

The charismatic Argentine could not have timed the visit better. It appeared between defeats to Arsenal and Istanbul, a period in which speculation about Solskjær grew. Of course, you know that you are the favorite for the position.

– I’m full of energy. I want to go back to football. “I’m waiting for the right moment,” Pochettino said.

When United lost in Istanbul, everyone started talking about Pochettino. On Thursday, the newspaper wrote Manchester evening news that United has contacted him about the job.

The new Fergie

Whether this is true is difficult to tell from the outside. Other outlets write that United has not contacted him. Almost everyone reports that United do not want to fire Solskjær.

But Solskjær must pull a very special rabbit out of his hat if anything else is to happen. Pochettino is not only one of the best in the world; has based his leadership style on his idol, Alex Ferguson, with offensive football and great confidence in young players.

You won’t find an active trainer who looks more like Ferguson.

You won’t find a manager that is a better fit for United at this time.

Woodward has little reason to wait. Other clubs can quickly sniff out Pochettino. At Manchester City, Pep Guardiola is in the last year of his contract. Barcelona will soon elect a new president. And nobody knows how long Juventus will retain Andrea Pirlo.

Plus, he’ll blame Woodward if he makes a change now. If United had fired Solskjær last year, it would have seemed like another misplaced board appointment.

But if they cast him out before Christmas, Woodward can tell that Solskjær turned the ship around and strengthened the stable. You can say: we picked you, you did a good job, but it’s time for a change.

On all three points, Woodward will be right.

Dangerous break of the national team

Saturday’s away game against Everton now looks like a stumbling block for Solskjær. A new explosion will result in three losses in a row and a table position just above relegation.

Then comes the national team’s recess, a two-week period where the press has little to write about and where speculation is low.

Will Solskjær survive this storm? It would be typical for him to strike out suddenly with a big win, because he has the ability to bounce back when the wind is at its worst. But this is what has become the problem for United: They never know what they will get.

Even after two years with Solskjær, United can easily beat Everton 3-0 or look like a corporate team again.

And for a club with such high expectations, it can’t go on like this.