Is Ole Out of Time at United?

Will Ole last until the end of the season?

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer started his managerial career at Cardiff City. At the time he took charge they were one point above the relegation zone and when the season finished, Cardiff were demoted. This left a lot of critics confused thinking why on earth has United chosen Ole out of the likes of Zidane or Pochettino? But his seventeen-game win streak quickly silenced the doubter’s, and in that time, he brought hope to many united fans; He left them thinking are United finally back? During the time of Ole’s win streak Arsene Wenger suggest this impeccable form will not last as he stated at a press conference, “The honeymoon stops at some stage and then you have to come back to reality.” Arsenal’s ex-manager deemed correct as all that followed was inconsistency. It’s coming to two years since Ole took charge as caretaker manager and where it all began; was Ole ever the right fit, or was it just the media twisting views?

Manchester United’s recent Champions League defeat to İstanbul Başakşehir after producing a 2-1 win over PSG and 5-0 win against RB Leipzig the in the weeks before amplifies United’s fragmented form. From beating last season’s Champion’s League finalist then to lose to a team who had never won a Champion’s League point before; it’s as if Ole is teasing United fans. All this along with United making two semi-final’s last season and loses them both, and only scrapping their Champions League spot for this season. It all seems very unconvincing from the Nord. You can take positives from the situations but both competitions they were left in were United’s to lose, and they did. It suggests a lack of belief from the players or a poor attitude because in both games they started of the better team and in one scoring first.

This form along with some outlandish signings also isn’t doing Ole any justice. Purchasing Harry Maguire for 80 million seemed excessive at the time but looking at what Maguire offers; it seems to be one of the biggest scams’ known to the footballing community. He is not tidy, consistent or savvy as the price tag would suggest but rather clumsy and unorganised. I know it’s easy to look back, but he is a mistake waiting to happen and it seems like Ole hasn’t lost faith in him, which is the strangest thing, as his mistakes has cost him many times. His signing of Donny Van De Beek is another unusual one. Van De Beek is an attacking midfielder but with the likes of Pogba and Bruno Fernandes to compete with he has a slim chance of ever finding game time, unless it’s off the bench of course. 

Ole has also proven he can make good signings too, with the likes of like Bruno Fernandes, Alex Telles, Edison Cavarni. These are all players that possess valuable experience which is helpful for a young team like United. Bruno Fernandes coming in with 30 goal contributions within his first 33 appearances and Edison Cavarni a known serial goal scorer are all valuable recourses to help propel United to the next level.

But one thing you can’t take from Ole is his belief in the youngsters of United like Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams giving them valuable experience at the first team level, Greenwood in particular really making a statement as he has scored many valuable goals for the Red Devils. It is these kinds of managerial attributes that bring a team together but also create competition for starting eleven places which motivates players to keep improving so they can get game time they deserve. This worked for Lampard at Chelsea, but what went wrong at United? You could maybe suggest the clubs never ending tensions surrounding players like Pogba and also United’s Charman Ed Woodward hesitance not helping them out either. But with football being the most watched, talked about, enjoyed sport in the world pressures like these could be suggestive of the position Ole is in, but these tensions around top clubs and players will always be there so what really is the source of the problem? Him, the players, Both him and the players, the media?

Ole was brought in as a caretaker manager for a reason. It’s nice to think that a club legend coming back with the intentions of trying and reinstate glory to Manchester United and its fans, but it’s clear it hasn’t worked out. You could suggest time is what he needs. We must remember It took Jürgen Klopp three years to break into Liverpool and look what he has given them, all the things United used to have. But let’s not forget he won back-to-back German league titles, a German Cup and found himself in a Champions League Final before he became Liverpool’s head coach. Ole has collected three sets of silver wear but none of which come from any major competitions or leagues... Is that something you want as a manager of one of the biggest clubs in the world? Does Ole Really have the potential? I think it’s time to go Ole.