Honestly, I’m running out of excuses and ideas at this point. Manchester United looks to have a superior squad to almost everyone they play. Their depth on paper looks solid and they are loaded with star power. The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo has completely lived up to its hype. But, the team is still lacking something. United seem utterly incapable of dominating teams they should dominate. With an even better squad than years prior it’s still the same old story. Ronaldo will paper over some cracks and will undoubtedly continue to produce but it won’t be enough for United to get the ever elusive number 21 Premier League title.
Identity
What is the identity of Manchester United? I recall writing a piece on this very question early last season and not much has changed since then. The squad has gotten better and Ronaldo automatically makes this team a contender in any competition, but the team still doesn’t seem to have a style of play. Unfortunately, much of this has to be down to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. I really do hate to say it, because as most United fans I love Ole. But, at some point you just have to be honest with yourself. Ole is an excellent man manager and I hope no matter what he retains a role at the club, but he does not know how to create a team.
Contrary to popular belief I actually believe Ole is an extrodianory technician and his results against big sides proves that. Although, game specific tactics are do not correlate to a team identity. Manchester City have a clear identity and so does Liverpool. Sure, fuck them but they know how to play their own style and they don’t let other teams change that. Ole relies too much on individual brilliance and specific game tactics. This isn’t the NFL where you can take each game week by week and out do your opponent. Football is a chess match and you have to have some go to moves. Maybe Ole will still figure it out, but at this point I’d love to move on. Personally, I’d hire Ole as director of football and search for a manager with more of a personality.
What can the Players do?
From a players perspective I believe they’re doing all they can do. The results are evidence of that enough. This team would not win games so often while playing so poorly without a clear identity. The players always respond to adversity positively and never give up. There may be specific players we as United fans get hard on or may believe aren’t doing enough, but at the end of the day this team comes back more than any other squad in the world. And, not to mention, these players find individual brilliance amongst themselves often enough to push this identity less team to second.
So, rather then discuss what these players can do themselves, let’s discuss what players we could bring in this January. The transfer muppetry already begins. There is a clear need for a number 6 or proper CDM in this team. Honestly that is really all the team needs to push it over the edge. Give United a proper 6 and a proper manager, then this team could challenge on multiple fronts. The only question is who can fill that role.
The rumor mill for a United 6 has brought up names like Ruben Neves, Declan Rice, and Kalvin Phillips. Honestly, if Wolves continue to drop points they could be in the relegation zone come Christmas. Should this be the case then I believe United could snatch Neves up this January for a reasonable price. But, personally I’d love to see Phillips join United, although his Yorkshire background may make that impossible. Rivalry aside, Phillips has a tremendous workrate, can participate in the offense and makes smart decisions. Only time will tell now, but I do expect United to make moves this January.
Ole’s Short on Time
The board may like this manager and appreciate the lack of retaliation, but his time is wearing thin. Our American Red Devils hosts may believe he is far from the hot seat due to the boards incompetence, but I do believe they are expecting more this season with the transfers they’ve completed. I hate this board as much as any other United fan, but I do think they have been making a conscious effort to at least atone for some sins since the Super League fiasco. Let’s hope Ole finds an identity for this team soon, otherwise its on the chopping block for the Norwegian.
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