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Old 19-10-2021, 10:19 AM   #198
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Default Re: Manchester United under Solskjaer

We should know what an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer side looks like by now. That we don't makes for wonderful theatre, but his cast of talented players may be tiring of improv

* When Manchester United go down, star Paul Pogba tends to go down, too
* Yet he's right that for such an experienced group, they can look very naοve
* The last seven games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men have brought just two wins
* Teams such as Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea can usually be relied upon
* But without a badge, United would look like 11 players trying to make it work


Here's the crux of it with Paul Pogba. Just because he played like a drain against Leicester doesn't mean he's wrong about Manchester United.

When United go down, Pogba tends to go down, too. It's not the best look from a player who was supposed to be a catalyst for improvement, a problem solver in the heart of midfield. Yet he's different for France. He was different for Juventus. Maybe he had better direction.

For Pogba to come out after a damaging, four-goal defeat on Saturday and criticise the performance almost as if he wasn't part of it, invites ridicule.

'There's going to be pressure on us,' he said. 'We need to be mature and play with more experience and arrogance, but in a good way. We need to change. We've been playing these kind of games for a long time and haven't solved the problem, conceding easy, stupid goals.'


Paul Pogba (L) played like a drain against Leicester but it doesn't mean he's wrong about Manchester United. For Pogba to criticise the performance almost as if he wasn't part of it, invites ridicule

And whose fault is that, the chorus asks? Soft goals don't just start with defensive errors. Often, the reason an opponent is in on goal is because mistakes are being made further up the field. Play isn't being closed down, individuals aren't working hard enough. Pogba cannot talk as if he is apart from these issues.

Yet he's right that for such an experienced group — 532 international caps in the starting XI alone at Leicester — Manchester United can look frighteningly naive.

Basically, they can be anything. Liverpool versus Atletico Madrid is the best match of this week's Champions League group games, but the potential for drama is at Old Trafford against Atalanta, where two sixth-placed teams meet because who knows which Manchester United will turn up?


Look at United's last seven games. They have won just two and have recorded four losses

Look at United's last seven games. There is a home draw to Everton, and four losses to opponents they should have been strong enough to beat: Leicester, Aston Villa, Young Boys and West Ham in the Carabao Cup. That leaves two wins.

One came with the latest winning goal United have ever scored in Europe, at home to Villarreal, the other required, not just an 89th-minute winner from substitute Jesse Lingard, but for West Ham to miss a penalty with the last kick of the match.

And all teams ride their luck — even the best ones. Bayern Munich were the better side for Manchester United's first Champions League win under Sir Alex Ferguson, and the second came down to John Terry's penalty miss for Chelsea. United's resilience in adversity in those days was as admirable as the many, many times they swept opponents off the park.

There will always be upsets but Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea — they can usually be relied upon. We know what they are about.

Liverpool's last seven games include two 3-0 wins over Crystal Palace and Norwich, a 5-1 victory in Porto and 5-0 against Watford. There are tight matches with Manchester City and AC Milan, understandably, and a complete tear-up with Brentford. A few are going to have those this season.

Manchester City are not much different. Their last seven games have brought matches against Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool — a win, a loss and a draw — but that's elite football. The rest have been comfortable victories — RB Leipzig, Wycombe and Burnley — and the wobble of a goalless draw to Southampton.

Chelsea lost to Manchester City and Juventus, which can happen, but won against Zenit St Petersburg, Tottenham, Southampton and Brentford, and progressed on penalties against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup.

But in all of those games, win, lose or draw, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea played in a way that was recognisably theirs, that looked as if it had been drilled into them. They could ditch their colours and play in plain white T-shirts, and it would still be recognisable as the work of Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel.

That's not true of United. They are yet to face a single team that was part of the proposed Super League breakaway, or would ever have been invited to join. And without knowing this is Manchester United, without the identity of colours or a badge, they would just look like 11 talented players trying to make it work.

United's last convincing scoreline was 4-1 against Newcastle on September 11. Yet Newcastle played better than the outcome suggests; it was level with 28 minutes to go and the difference was the gulf in individual ability.

Players are why Manchester United are still just a point off the Champions League spots, and only Liverpool have outscored them this season. Throw enough money at a problem, and you get good players. Throw enough good players at a football match, and you may well win. Yet the strategy is missing and Pogba's assessment, for all his faults, was truthful.

'We need to find the right mentality and tactic,' he concluded. But those attributes are set by the manager. We should know what an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer side looks like by now. That we don't makes for wonderful theatre. Yet, increasingly, the cast may be tiring of improv.

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10104757/MARTIN-SAMUEL-fact-dont-know-Solskjaers-Man-United-looks-like-makes-great-theatre.html
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