If I was a Manchester United fan, I would be tearing my hair out at the minute. The Red Devils have taken two steps forward and one step back in recent months. A 2-0 defeat at Arsenal on New Year’s Day rather summed up United in recent weeks. Just when you think that United are set to put together a winning run, they slip to defeat.
Unpredictable United
A few weeks ago, United produced their best performance of the Premier League campaign, winning 2-1 at arch-rivals and reigning champions Manchester City. The superb performance was then followed by a lacklustre 1-1 draw against Everton before a woeful 2-0 defeat against relegation-threatened Watford.
Things started looking positive again when the Red Devils won back-to-back games against Newcastle and Burnley. Then came the inevitable defeat at an Arsenal, who went into the clash having won just once in 12 Premier League games.
The lack of consistency askes question of the team and the player’s mentality. However, in recent seasons the Red Devils have struggled to regain the winning mentality instilled by Sir Alex Ferguson in his long tenure at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer may have crashed
When you United were thriving in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s interim spell as United boss, the saying of ‘Ole’s at the wheel’ was thrown around on social media. Unfortunately, the Norwegian’s driving has been criminal of late and he seems to have crashed the United car.
I read an interesting stat recently that said that Manchester United had never approached Boxing Day with less than 30 points in a Premier League season. This season under Solskjaer changed that. The Red Devils have now also failed to score from open play in 500 minutes in the Premier League, again something that has never happened before.
In short, Solskjaer is on dangerous ground as United boss. The good little runs of form have kept him in a job. The Red Devils are currently only five points outside the Champions League spots, which has also helped the Norwegian’s cause.
It is unclear if Solskjaer has the managerial acumen to lead Manchester United back to the top of the English football tree. However, one thing is for certain if he was not a club icon then he would have got the job on his CV. It remains to be seen if he will have the job for much longer.
United face difficult FA Cup tie this weekend
Manchester United take a break from being inconsistent in the Premier League to face Wolves in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday, a game in which they are odds of 15/8 to record a victory. The game could really go either way, as Wolves have not exactly been highly consistent themselves of late.
How the game goes depends on which Manchester United shows up, the one that defeated Manchester City or the one that surrendered to Watford. Only time will tell which team turns up.
However, if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is going to prove successful at United, then he somehow has to find a way of making his team more consistent. If he does not then United may be searching for a new boss in the near future.
Can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer help United to become more successful?
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