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19th October 2021
04:10pm BST
This one has been brewing for a long time, not just this weekend.
It goes without saying that the Norwegian is under pressure at the moment. A 4-2 defeat to Leicester City last weekend left many United fans calling for his head after a series of less-than-impressive performances. The work that Solskjaer has done in his time at Old Trafford though is far greater than many think.
When he arrived - initially on a caretaker basis - the club were in one of their roughest patches. Jose Mourinho had left under the darkest of clouds with the side in turmoil. As a player, he was adored, but as a manager, there were sceptical views about his appointment. Nonetheless, he galvanised the team and in three years has taken them from a side dreaming of a top-four finish to being a real contender for the title.
But now they are at a crossroads. New signings have come in and the squad is more than good enough to go to the next level, but is Solskjaer? He's a nice guy, but being nice doesn't get you anywhere. As far as man-management goes, there probably isn't many doing a better job.
There's a lot of egos present at United and he seems to have kept control of them for the most part, but tactically, he is way off the mark in comparison to his managerial rivals. There's the odd fluke tactical masterclass such as the wins at Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, but for the large part he's often out-thought by teams of a far weaker quality than United.
The failure to identify bringing in a central midfielder is a huge alarm bell as well as his baffling decision to recall a far-from-fit Harry Maguire to the side which backfired massively. The atmosphere is as toxic as it has been for a while in the last few weeks.
It's a conversation that is being brought up more and more as each week passes, and not just with Liverpool fans. In his last two Premier League games, Mohamed Salah has scored two goals worthy of goal of the season contenders. His most recent against Watford, defined sheer beauty.
Wriggling out of a tight space which had five Watford defenders circled round him, the Egyptian made it look easy as he twisted and turned before curling into the top corner to take everybody's breath away once more. He is well and truly at the peak of his powers and is rightly being mentioned amongst some real talent for the "best player in the world" conversation.
In comparison to others, Salah is probably classed as a relatively late bloomer. He showed signs at Basel, but failed to adapt at Chelsea before time out the limelight at Roma propelled him back to the levels he was touted to reach earlier in his career. He will go down as one of the best players of all time at Liverpool. The way he gets you off your feet when he twists and turns, the variety of goals he scores, he is a special special talent.
But there are plenty of others too. Take Robert Lewandowski for example. His goal record speaks for itself. Yes he plays for one of the best teams in the world, but so does Salah. Then of course you can't not mention Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi whilst new kids on the block Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are knocking on the door too.
The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo was met with great excitement from people all around the world. One of football's all-time greats was back 'home'. And he has had an impact in the side. Two goals on his debut against Newcastle United and then a last-minute winner against Villarreal in the Champions League. It's vintage Ronaldo.
But as of late, since results and goals have began to dry up, people are starting to take note of the impact Ronaldo has on this United team in a negative perspective. In truth, he wasn't 'needed' as such, but the allure and romance of Ronaldo returning was just too much to ignore.
He offers so commercially, which is obviously a contributing factor, but in a side where pressing high to win the ball back and immediately attack is vital to success, a 36-year-old who refuses to press is an issue. Given the status he enjoys, that filters through the team. Whatever Ronaldo does, his teammates will do, because it works for him. And just like when they wouldn't eat the apple crumble because the superstar didn't, this United side presses less because Ronaldo doesn't.
It allows teams to dominate the midfield, play from the back without the fear of someone chasing them down to win the ball back and carve through a vulnerable side with ease. There's also the case of how his presence affects certain players. Mason Greenwood is destined to play down the middle, but can't because Ronaldo has to play there, which then means Jadon Sancho can't play on his favoured right side of the wing so that Greenwood can be accommodated into the side. It's a problem which needs remedying rapidly, but does he make them worse?
Poor old Donny van de Beek has had a shocking time at Manchester United so far. The Dutchman was labelled as one of Holland's brightest talents when he joined from Ajax - and proved as such during his side's Champions League run a few years back - but has barely had a look in. To be honest, he's hardly even had a chance to showcase his talents which we all know are there.
There's several rumours surrounding his future at Old Trafford, but he isn't the only one, with Solskjaer's long-term future in question too. The issue is, unlike van de Beek, Solskjaer isn't quite on borrowed time yet. Somehow (it's likely because he's a Steve Bruce like character who won't rock the boat and demand more from his owners) the Norwegian coach retains the support of his board, the kind of support van de Beek doesn't receive from his manager.
That is a crucial fact, because few players would benefit from a change of management at Old Trafford quite as much as Donny. He has the talent and the desire to succeed and it would be another nail in the coffin of Solskjaer were he break out and become a star at United.
So would it be an overreaction to say they are the worst team in Premier League history?
