On Wednesday evening, Manchester United played in the final of a competition they were competing in because they failed in their original goal and then failed in that one too.
Against Paris Saint-Germain in December, United collapsed in the final quarter of the game. Against RB Leipzig a week later, they capitulated in the first quarter. Against Villarreal, a club which operates on roughly a quarter of United’s wage bill, they were soporific throughout. Their last shot on target came in the 55th minute, their first substitution in the 100th.
But, but, but there were no options on the bench. While Villarreal were able to call upon Premier League hall-of-famers Alberto Moreno and Francis Coquelin (signed for a combined £5m), United only had two central midfielders signed for over £90m, an attacking midfielder signed for £35m last summer, two wingers signed for a combined £35m, a £15m left-back and Juan Mata, now 33 but still able to walk into Villarreal’s team. Sometimes the cupboard is bare, guys!
At Manchester United now, they talk of progress rather than titles. Unless they win the EFL Cup next season, this club will reach five full years without a trophy for the first time since 1990. Improvements have been made: 33 points off the title last year, 12 this; losing semi-finals last year, losing finals this. But Alex Ferguson used to insist that second was nothing; now it’s the glass ceiling.
Perhaps it is easier to judge Manchester United by the trophies they have won rather than the ones they haven’t. Over the last eight years: two Community Shields, one League Cup, one Europa League and one FA Cup. Or, to be blunt: two glorified friendlies, one secondary domestic cup, one secondary European trophy and one FA Cup. That 2015-16 run is the silver-plated highpoint; United beat Sheffield United, Derby County, Shrewsbury Town, West Ham, Everton and Crystal Palace.
These are viewed as signs of a broken superclub. Broken by the Glazers, whose debt-leveraged buyout planted the seeds of decay. Broken by Ed Woodward and an apparent commitment to prioritising sponsorship deals over on-pitch performance. Broken by two managers, one of whom burnt all bridges and the other who bored everybody senseless. Broken by wanton misspending without enough improvement to justify it. Manchester United have spent £550m on transfer fees alone since lifting a trophy.
But what of the third manager? There are reasons for United supporters to warm to Solskjaer. At a time when the connection between owners and fans has never been more toxic, and when Europe’s richest clubs made clear their wilful ignorance of supporters’ ideals, having a manager that you can make an easy emotional bond with offers reassurance. Solskjaer presents visions of both storied history and a rose-tinted future. When everything else looks bleak, he is a bridge between the past and the present.
And there were reasons for continued faith: the interim performance, the away record this season (albeit in an odd campaign), the second-place finish (but with Chelsea and Liverpool in flux), the results against Manchester City. Solskjaer overperformed our initial expectations. That gave credence to those supporters who either used it as fuel to mock the naysayers or as oxygen for their need for optimism about the future.
But we should beware falling into the late-Wenger Arsenal trap here. No manager at a club of Manchester United’s size and wealth deserves effusive praise for reaching semi-finals and losing finals. They do not merit championing because they perform well against one elite opponents or have changed the occasional game with a tactical tweak. To do so would only be patronising. There is a four-word statement of the bleeding obvious that has become cliche across the punditry and journalistic spheres: This is Manchester United.
For all the talk of history and omens, of deep connections between supporters and a manager they remember as a player, what tangible differences do they make? The players, coaches and directors have all changed. Solskjaer’s highest points as a player – the game-changing substitutions, the ability to sprinkle some attacking flair and deft movement – were exactly what United lacked on Wednesday. And if they do make a difference, is that enough to counteract the strengths of a new breed of coaches who have the experience, success and tactical obsession that Solskjaer seemingly lacks?
Manchester United are the club at which Solskjaer is most likely to succeed, nobody doubts that. But Solskjaer as the manager who is most likely to succeed at Manchester United? That takes a double dose of sentimentality. Three more players may come in at high prices. Eventually that weight of expensive talent might make a telling difference, but it’s just as likely that they become window dressing. Ferguson had it right in 2012: “You have to remember that the most important person at Manchester United is the manager. It has to be that way.”
That matters this summer more than most because of the managers who are now, or might soon, become available. Zinedine Zidane and Antonio Conte have hit the market. There is some noise that Mauricio Pochettino may be unhappy with life under the PSG microscope. All may find new homes, but none of them seem likely to be in Manchester.
But somewhere down the line – and if not now, then when? – Manchester United and Manchester United supporters have to decide what they want their club to be. The relentless winning machine of the Premier League’s first 20 years left with Ferguson, but that only increased the importance of sensible, logical decision-making. And that leaves the uncomfortable truth for Solskjaer: if this club was being run properly, he would not be its manager.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2Sv8yUw
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