How Ole Gunnar Solskjær met his downfall at Manchester United
The decision to relieve former manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær as manager of Manchester United was one of the best decisions the club ever made.
The first half of the 2021/22 season was an absolute embarrassment given the hype that surrounded the club following major acquisitions including Jadon Sancho and Raphaël Varane. That hype was then expanded exponentially following the acquisition of one Cristiano Ronaldo.
The expectation was to challenge for the title, particularly amongst the supporters and that view was strengthened by Solskjær.
“I’d rather be an optimist and be wrong than a pessimist and be right,” says Solskjær. “Of course these boys can, with a maximum effort and maximum sacrifice.
“It feels like this season coming up is one of the strongest Premier League seasons. It’s been City and Liverpool fighting it out for a while but us and Chelsea have spent well and should look at ourselves as potential challengers.”
However, after 12 games in the Premier League, United were 7th and Solskjær was sacked.
In those 12 games, United accumulated 5 wins, 2 draws and 5 losses. 20 goals were scored, 21 were conceded.
Rather alarming statistics, but the reality was, Solskjær should not have overseen as much of this current season as he should’ve. In my view, he should’ve gone after the Liverpool game, which will be analysed in further detail later on.
But the club decided to sack him not long after the Watford game and that game, along with three others in the Premier League contributed heavily to Solskjær getting the sack and here’s why.
Leicester City 4–2 Manchester United
This fixture was the start of the nightmare run for Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s United. Before the season commenced, there was greater optimism heading into this fixture as historically under the Norweigan, United would perform at a satisfactory or even greater level against big teams.
However, the start made to the season left many United fans nervous about the prospect of facing these sides.
Leicester away at the King Power Stadium is always a difficult game. They’re a well-drilled side where the atmosphere there can be intimidating at times.
Surprisingly, United scored first in the game, with Mason Greenwood launching an absolute missile from out wide in the 19th minute.
The phase of play leading up to the goal involved Paul Pogba showing his class by driving with the ball at speed towards the defenders.
For once, Aaron Wan-Bissaka displayed some attacking impotence, with a clever run in behind as a decoy and that along with Bruno Fernandes making a run in the other direction gave space for Greenwood to exploit.
Now Greenwood was quite a one dimensional player under Ole, someone who would cut inside and shoot and would often be to no result. However, this time the strike paid off.
Unfortunately, United’s lead lasted barely 12 minutes and this can be attributed to Harry Maguire’s mistake.
Maguire shouldn’t have been selected in the first place, given his unsuitability to the game from a tactical but more importantly a physical point of view. Maguire wasn’t even match fit and this goal from Youri Tielemans showed why.
Leicester in this game pressed with a lot of intensity and energy but their pressing wasn’t just athletically impressive, it was their objective when pressing. Maguire whenever he’s under pressure, panics. A game where there is even a remote level of intensity and he falters.
Here, David de Gea looked to switch the ball to the English international.
Now, if you look at how Vardy is curving his run and where Iheanacho is positioned, they want de Gea to pass to Maguire.
Everyone knows that Harry Maguire is not the sharpest player in the world, so this next action is so weird.
He takes his eye off the ball and waits. Now, this is a very good opportunity for someone like Iheanacho, who’s very quick, to press with aggression and intensity.
For some reason, Harry Maguire thought he could pull off a nutmeg on Iheanacho to get past him.
However, this happens.
Leicester off of basically nothing, get themselves in a very good position. United weren’t organised defensively, and this allowed Tielemans to receive in space to score with a wonderful chip.
Now the game from there turns into a bit of an arm wrestle in terms of control of possession, however, Leicester were creating multiple chances.
It was only a matter of time before they would find the second goal.
In the 78th minute, it was Çağlar Söyüncü who found the back of the net.
The goal was the result of firstly Leicester winning the ball back in United’s half. Jonny Evans dispossessed Cristiano Ronaldo who then found Jamie Vardy.
Vardy after a quick passing combination with Ayoze Pérez got into this position.
Now I don’t understand what on earth that defensive line was from Manchester United’s back four, but the point was, it was not focussed or aware of Patson Daka making a blindside run in behind Victor Lindelöf.
Daka’s run was very good, as Lindelöf had no time to react. The following shot from Daka forced a smart save from de Gea, which resulted in a corner due to Maguire putting the ball out.
The corner showed United were very slow to react to the danger. Daka was able to get his shot away, David de Gea was forced to make a smart save but even then he couldn’t do it all by himself, as Söyüncü forced the ball home.
Manchester United remarkably were able to level the game up, however, that goal came as a result of route one football.
Lindelöf with his left foot played a wonderful ball over the top of Leicester’s block.
To be fair, Rashford made an impressive curved run that was onside and caught out the Leicester defence, and that along with his speed gave the defenders no chance.
However, what followed just a mere 26 seconds later, Leicester were back in front thanks to a wonderful volley from Jamie Vardy.
The phase of play leading up to that goal showed United’s lack of focus and concentration following the equaliser and it just goes back to that old saying, “you’re at your most vulnerable after you’ve just scored or conceded”.
Defensively, the positioning of Scott McTominay and Jesse Lingard’s poor recovery effort highlighted United’s flaws structurally.
Now here, Vardy was quite intelligent with his movement. Maguire’s main focus is on the Spanish winger, but subconsciously he’s aware of Vardy in the box. But, that is not his number one priority to focus on.
So Vardy just backs away slightly to give himself more space.
Maguire’s inability to mark Vardy, allowed the English striker to shoot unmarked.
Look above how poor United are structured defensively. No organisation, zero structure, players clumped into one area and no one reacting to the danger. 7 United players were in the box, not one was marking Vardy.
Leicester’s fourth and final goal was just another example of how poor United were defensively under Solskjær.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka highlighted a critical flaw in his game, his ability on the ball is so poor.
In this situation above, the English right-back should’ve been smarter with his decision making. He tried to get past Vardy however he ended up getting in a tangle as he lost the ball and gave away a free-kick.
His clumsiness and lack of composure on the ball stagnates United’s progressive play and versatility going forward.
There were no redeeming actions from Wan-Bissaka from the free-kick, as Patson Daka, the goalscorer, was his man to mark.
He left his man that he had to mark in an attempt to win the ball. Now as a defender, if you’re going to leave your man, you do so only if there’s a good reason.
Instead, Wan-Bissaka did not influence the play nor did he clear the ball, he allowed Daka to finish into an empty net.
So that game concluded with sections of the fanbase beginning to turn on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær and rightly so. The following game in the Premier League against Liverpool had many fans fearing for the worst. What happened in that game is impossible to explain.
Manchester United 0–5 Liverpool
This game was an absolute disaster.
Capitulation, destruction, embarrassment. There aren’t enough words to describe just how bad the game was for United.
Problems started to arise for United, just 5 minutes in as Naby Keïta put the away side in front.
Before the goal occurred, there were many issues with the home side from a structural point of view.
A pass backwards from Jordan Henderson was the moment Bruno Fernandes signalled to his side that this was the trigger for the team to press Liverpool and try and win possession back.
Unfortunately, the press lead to absolutely nothing.
Liverpool had overloaded their left hand side and United didn’t have enough numbers behind the ball to cope.
Now Maguire committing himself forces Luke Shaw to come in behind and cover, but it gets even worse for United.
It’s a 3v1 not in United’s favour. All Salah had to do was slip in Keïta and what followed next was a calm and composed finish.
Now I have no problem with pressing however if it is not executed correctly, it can leave your side massively exposed particularly if there’s no pace in recovery or numbers behind the ball should the press fail.
Things went from bad to worse for United, just 8 minutes later.
Liverpool were very efficient during this game when it came to overloading central areas to create space for an advancing fullback. The area they overloaded was the same for the first goal as it was for the second.
Robertson’s ball in behind was essentially a chaos ball, as it wasn’t exactly directed to any particular Liverpool player.
However, United’s lack of organisation was on full display for Liverpool’s second goal. There was zero communication from either Harry Maguire or Luke Shaw, as they ran into each other.
Now, this is schoolboy stuff here. You get taught early on when developing as a footballer to communicate with your teammates. There was nothing here.
As I mentioned previously concerning Liverpool overloading central areas to create space out wide, this worked very well in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s favour. The confusion from Maguire and Shaw allowed for Alexander-Arnold to slip in behind.
All the right-back had to do was fizz a ball low and hard. He did that and the cross found Diego Jota.
Liverpool dictated the majority of the game in terms of possession, chances created and goals scored.
In the 38th minute, they grabbed a third goal via Mohamed Salah.
The Liverpool players during the game were very good when it came to passing and movement around the ball. There were multiple instances in the game where Liverpool players were able to receive in space and under not much pressure.
This was attributed to a degree by United’s lack of cohesion and compactness when defending in a block.
Salah’s first goal came through Alexander-Arnold finding Roberto Firmino who had drifted to the right wing.
Ball retention was very easy for Liverpool due to United’s poor structure and the Liverpool players being able to create overloads and triangles.
After a quick passing sequence following Firmino driving with the ball inside, United’s back four were structured like this.
A deflected shot from Salah as well as Naby Keïta making a blindside run in behind United’s defence allowed for this situation to occur.
Salah had a very easy finish, as he was able to smash it inside the front post.
7 minutes later, Mohamed Salah scored his second and Liverpool’s fourth.
The goal came as a result of goalkeeper Allison going long. Liverpool defensively are very efficient counterpressers, and they were able to react to the second ball much quicker and with a much greater level of intensity and aggression than United.
Fred’s effort was poor and weak. Keïta showed the aggression and desire that Jürgen Klopp would want to see with his players.
The subsequent free-kick saw Liverpool use the same method that saw them score their first three goals, by overloading their left hand side to isolate their right.
After a few quick passes, Liverpool found themselves in this situation.
Sometimes as a winger, standing still or holding your position is a way to create space. Shaw, due to United’s incredibly poor defensive organisation, had to prioritise covering Maguire, not making sure Salah was accounted for.
Eventually, this happened.
The Portuguese found Salah who cooly finished past David de Gea.
So with United going in at halftime 4–0 down, everyone, including Ole Gunnar Solskjær who admitted so himself in a post-match interview, that it was damage limitation in the second half.
Things didn’t get off to a good start, because Liverpool scored their fifth goal in the 50th minute, with Mohamed Salah completing his hattrick.
What wasn’t common throughout the game was Liverpool looking to attack United via an offensive transition at speed. However, an opportunity presented itself to the away side which they capitalised on skillfully.
As I stated previously, Liverpool are very good when it comes to counterpressing and they showed why, in the build-up to their fifth goal.
Now Pogba is a very strong, dominating and imposing figure who’s very good at protecting the ball. However, with two players pressing him with great levels of intensity and aggression, he was never going to win that battle.
He was dispossessed around the halfway line and the Liverpool forwards, in particular Mohamed Salah, knew that if one of the midfielders was able to progress with the ball following the players winning the ball back, there’d be space in behind United’s defence.
Jordan Henderson was able to break away from the clump in midfield and play an exquisite pass through to Mohamed Salah with the outside of his right boot.
The pass played was done so with the right speed and direction, as it was made to the advantage of Salah, where all he had to do was show some composure and gently chip the ball over David de Gea.
One pass was enough to split the United defence and the fact it came down through Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw’s side wasn’t a surprise. Maguire lacks pace and Shaw lacks awareness. Both are not a good combination, especially when you’re playing a side that’s so balanced and complete in Liverpool.
So a 5–0 defeat at home to your biggest rivals, surprisingly not enough for United to act on Solskjaer getting the sack.
This image was very powerful for a lot of United fans at fulltime.
Manchester United 0–2 Manchester City
Maybe not a demolition in terms of a scoreline, but this game highlighted how far off the pace United was under Solskjær.
It was one-way traffic for the full 90 minutes, with City dominating possession as usual but they restricted United to only one shot on target all game. United weren’t able to create many chances nor were they able to put City under pressure in any way.
In an interesting move from Solskjær, he changed the tactical configuration of the side following the Liverpool game where he was now using a back five. This was probably a move to make the side more defensively solid.
But changing the defensive system completely mid-season doesn’t usually guarantee long term success, as, despite the system working against a very underwhelming Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City picked the team apart with ease.
Within 7 minutes, City were 1–0 up.
So how did City score their first?
Well the Citizens under Guardiola, like Liverpool under Klopp, are very strong from a defensive viewpoint. They’re able to constrict the opposition within their half and not allow any getaway routes.
United never really had anywhere to progress the ball and City forced United and the ball into a corner and to a player who is not comfortable in possession.
Unfortunately for United, City’s structure behind the ball allowed them to position themselves in good areas to regain possession. Wan-Bissaka’s attempted long ball went straight to Rodri.
From there, City were able to work the ball out wide, under no pressure, to Kyle Walker, who had advanced from right back.
Ilkay Gündoğan almost got on the end of the ball, however, the United defence cleared away but again, City’s structure behind the ball allowed them to retain the ball almost immediately as now João Cancelo had the ball on the left.
Cancelo’s cross was just as dangerous as Walker’s. Now a problem with Eric Bailly, is that he’s reckless and undisciplined. So it’s not uncommon to see him fly at the ball with no sense of control. Unfortunately, his indiscipline cost United, as the ball deflected off his shin into the back of the net.
So not a good start for United but the basics were not followed at all. One is to clear your lines properly and reorganise yourselves following an opponent’s attack.
United didn’t learn from City’s first attack in that phase of play, and it cost them when Cancelo delivered that wicked ball into the box.
From that moment, it was exactly how Roy Keane described it, “men vs boys”. City toyed with United. They controlled the ball. They didn’t have to try too hard. It was just finding the right moment on when to pounce. They took their time however their second goal came just before half time.
United made it so easy for City to move the ball in and around the midfield third, there was barely any intensity or pressure applied.
An aspect that’s impressive with Manchester City is their ability to play balls in between the lines. This skill is pretty difficult but once a team masters it, chance creation is made so much easier.
After a little passing exchange on their right, City were able to transfer the ball to Cancelo who was in an advanced position.
City are so good on the ball with their technique and vision that they can play dangerous balls over the top of defences.
Bernardo Silva was able to make a blindside run in behind the United defence and score under no pressure.
Even with five defenders, United couldn’t keep a clean sheet.
Offensively their edge was blunt but overall, the team under Ole Gunnar Solskjær was heading in no positive direction. There was no development or clear progression seen and this was quite embarrassing, given the squad at his disposal.
Watford 4–1 Manchester United
This game was the final nail in the coffin of Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s tenure as Manchester United manager.
Remarkably, he was able to get through the November international break, but he had been skating on very thin ice throughout the majority of the 2021/22 season. Prior to this game, the fat lady was beginning to warm up her voice.
By fulltime, she was screaming.
If Solskjær was wanting to have any chance of keeping his job, it was imperative that his side got off to a good start.
11 minutes into the game and Watford had a penalty. A stupid attempt to switch the play from Bruno Fernandes saw Josh King one on one against David de Gea, however Scott McTominay dragged him down.
Fortunately, Ismaïla Sarr was unable to convert following a brilliant save from the keeper from the spot.
However, in the 28th minute, Watford were able to gain some reward from their early dominance.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s awareness when a cross is delivered to the back post is atrocious.
Below, Kiko delivered a ball, under no pressure from Marcus Rashford, in the direction of Josh King.
Wan-Bissaka was able to get his head to it, but again, his awareness is so poor. He heads it straight to Emmanuel Dennis.
He was able to cut the ball back and all Josh King had to do was hit the target, which he did.
From there, Watford, one of the worst teams in the competition, took control of the game against one of the so called “big 6” sides.
Long balls were a great method for Watford to put the United defence under pressure and gain some territory. For the second goal scored in the 44th minute, a long ball from Ben Foster saw Watford progress up their left side.
Following a switch of play, Kiko and Tom Cleverly were able to combine, where the Spanish right back delivered a ball into the box to Sarr, who was all alone. He flicked the ball up and volleyed it smartly into the bottom left.
Strangely at half time, Solskjær made two substitutions, bringing on two players who hadn’t featured too promintently throughout the season in Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial. Finally in that moment van de Beek was getting a game.
Low and behold, he is the one who brings United back into the game with a smart header. The final goal of the Ole Gunnar Solskjær reign was scored by a player who had been neglected by the Norweigan manager.
Unfortunately for Manchester United and Solskjær, nothing eventuated from Donny’s tidy finish.
Harry Maguire was sent off after a shocking challenge. He tried going past Tom Cleverly, however his touch to get around him was woeful. Below was the red card tackle.
An embarrassing challenge from United’s captain.
Things didn’t get any better for United either.
In the 92nd minute, João Pedro scored Watford’s third, following some very good play by Watford.
Martial was dispossesed after a poor touch, Dennis played in Pedro who managed to get the strike to go underneath de Gea’s legs.
Things went from bad to worse for United, with Emmanuel Davis securing the points for Watford by scoring their fourth goal.
United tried to counter attack however the ball ended up in Ben Foster’s hands. I spoke earlier about Watford going route one in order to gain territory and put United under pressure and here it worked perfectly.
Ben Foster went long, Nemanja Matić misjudged the flight of the ball, Davis pounced on the ball and went low and hard into the bottom left corner.
Summary
United under Ole Gunnar Solskjær has proven to many big clubs but also to all clubs in world football; don’t hire a manager just because they were loved as a player.
Solskjær got more time than most just because of his reputation as a player however the reality was, he never should’ve been in charge of United’s rebuild in the first place.
With a non-existent CV and zero experience of managing and gaining success in the Premier League and/or with a big club, the appointment of Solskjær has resulted in United needing yet another rebuild.
Solskjær’s final season was a major disappointment given the significant investment, as the performances on the pitch from the team overall were embarrassing, particularly from a defensive point of view.
