A few days back, Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future at Old Trafford was as bleak as Ronald Koeman, who got sacked as Barca’s coach recently. The 5-0 rout against Liverpool led many to speculate that the Norwegian’s stint at the United is as good as over. But the board at the Red Devils gave him some more time to sort out the issue. As things stand today, it seems the enigmatic Cristiano Ronaldo has saved Solskjaer’s job for the time being. After the Portuguese superstar’s marvelous display to beat Villarreal 3-2 in the dying moments of the game, Ronaldo yet again helped the United to snatch a 2-2 draw against Atalanta by scoring a minute into the injury time. However, the question that begs for the answer is: Will these solo acts be sufficient for Solskjaer to prolong his tenure at Man United?
Well, the current coach of the Red Devils might have got a temporary breather but to believe that he is completely out of the woods would be a bit far too far-fetched. No amount of Ronaldo magic can gloss over the various problems haunting the Devils. Primarily, Solskjaer’s inability to identify the ideal playing XI. The Norwegian has indeed inherited a team bubbling with humongous talents but the same bunch of gifted players has proved to be a bane for him as well. For a team featuring Paul Pogba, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Ronaldo etc it can get quite tricky for any coach to hammer out the right mix. But sooner or later Solskjaer needs to crack the conundrum and fully extract the immense potential at his disposal for the betterment of the club.
Another area that triggers migraine for the Norwegian is the Central Midfield. With the advent of Sancho and Varane, the United has been able to strengthen its right midfield and centre-back respectively. However, the gaps at Central Midfield are proving to be a curse for the Reds. He tried to arrest the slide in the position by getting back the combo of Mc-Fred but to no avail. In the game against Atalanta, the pair’s glaring faults came to the fore and United conceded two vital goals in the process. Despite being a persevering combination, Mc-Fred comes across as unsuitable for the cause of the Red Devils. Also, the misfiring combo is making the coach helpless by eschewing the tendency to field an attacking side. So, this becomes another thorn in the flesh of Solskjaer.
The fact that Man United is still in contention for the Champions League has got more to do with Ronaldo’s masterclass than Solskjaer’s tactical acumen. Had Ronaldo not produced those astonishing acts against Villarreal and Atalanta, United and Solskjaer would have found themselves in a deeper hole today. However, the Norwegian cannot always lean heavily on the Portuguese sensation for the betterment of Devils. Solskjaer immediately needs to find the appropriate playing XI that can efficiently complement his vision and eke out a strategy to reinforce midfield and defence. He has a team to die for, so he should find ways to make the most out of it, with or without Ronaldo.
