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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes Manchester United back to the scene of their greatest victory, 595 days since the return that effectively earned him a permanent contract. In that time, Solskjaer has addressed some of United’s many shortcomings. But others persist …
Paul pogba
Pogba was one of the factors in Solskjaer landing the permanent position. After barely phoning José Mourinho, United’s record signing was a player who was reborn as soon as Solskjaer arrived.
But it was, of course, another false dawn. Once Solskjaer was appointed full time and Pogba had told Mourinho, the France star fell back once more to become a problem.
Since that win over PSG that Pogba failed to collect two silly yellow cards in the first leg, the second of which made one wonder if he had gone looking for her, the midfielder has thrown three goals (two from the penalty spot ) and four assists. That means Pogba has been involved in one goal for every 422 minutes he’s been on the field for United.
Yes, he missed much of last season through injury, but it remains a dilemma for Solskjaer and one that is nowhere near a resolution, especially while he and his agent keep talking about dream transfers to Real Madrid.
Ander Herrera full of praise for the former #MUFC teammate Paul Pogba. “I think he has it all, there is no one like him … he has it all,” said the PSG midfielder. “He has the talent to be one of the best”
– Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) October 19, 2020
The defense
On paper, Solskjaer could point to a big improvement in United’s defense last season. They went from having the 10th best defensive record in 2018/19 to the third best in their first full season in charge.
Harry Maguire’s arrival was certainly not a coincidence and while he did solve a very shaky defense, observers might suggest that United’s defensive record was better than their actual defense.
Maguire’s troubles this season illustrate that there is still a lot of work to be done in the last four. The captain has been poor, but those around him have been worse. Neither Victor Lindelof nor Eric Bailly have offered a shred of competition so far this season, with Bailly is missing again tonight because you just can’t stay in shape.
So having chosen not to look for a center back after signing three in the previous four summers, Solskjaer must now show that he can organize and strengthen a defense that has yet to keep a clean sheet and has conceded 12 goals in its first four games. . It doesn’t help that they don’t have enough protection …
A midfield screen
Pogba and United’s defensive concerns are part of a broader problem with United’s midfield.
Bruno Fernandes is doing amazing things later on, which also restricts Pogba to a deeper role to which his physical attributes are perfectly suited, but his mindset is not.
So with Pogba pretending to make a screen on one side, Nemanja Matic has to do the job almost on her own. When Solskjaer was appointed, it seemed that Matic was finished. It seemed like his legs were gone and although he has had something of a revival over the past year, Solskjaer still lacks mobility in the face of his defense, which is being exposed far too often.
Fred and Scott McTominay are fleeting presences in the engine room, but neither has really put the effort into claiming a midfield position of their own, and while United are reluctant to get stronger in the transfer market, it is up to Solskjaer to find ways to better protect . his back four.
The problem of the center forward
Romelu Lukaku scored twice in Paris, but it seems Solskjaer was already determined that Belgium’s record scorer did not fit the template of how the manager wanted his center forward to operate.
Whether that was the right decision or not can be debated, but at least Solskjaer showed some determination about Lukaku. The problem is that United has not found anyone better to do the job.
The theory was that Marcus Rashford would be in the middle, but the England attacker is much happier coming off the left side. Anthony Martial has been entrusted with Solskjaer’s faith and has made a reasonable fist of things, at least before the start of this season, with 17 Premier League goals last season. But Paul Scholes echoed the thoughts of many when he suggested that Martial had tricked United fans last season into thinking he could be the club’s long-term center forward.
It’s not Solskjaer’s fault that United insists on buying gifts and loans when it comes to center forwards, although it will be interesting to see how Edinson Cavani fares and how Martial responds to that challenge. But more than a year and a half into his reign, the former center forward has yet to resolve his team’s center-forward problems.
Lack of consistency
“Our players have quality. They have a chance. We just need consistency. “
That’s what Solskjaer spoke at the start of his first preseason at United. Before that, the Red Devils were desperately reeling between twinkle and shit. In the Premier League, between his arrival and the end of the 2018/19 season, he did not lose for 12 games and then won only two of his last nine.
The search for consistency did not return results in the season before the Covid shutdown. In the Premier League they never achieved more than two wins in a row before the season was suspended and enjoyed consecutive wins only three times.
After the restart, it looked like Solskjaer had cracked it up, thanks in large part to Fernandes, to whom United never lost in the league. The Red Devils didn’t lose any of their last 14 to take third place.
This season, however, it is again a different story. L, W, L, W is the story of their first four games, and they were extremely lucky to get the first W. The win over Newcastle on Saturday should be the start of another positive streak, especially with opponents looming. up. Either way, Solskjaer’s long-term job prospects are sure to change again in the coming weeks and that can’t help drive consistency.
Ian Watson
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