KEY POINTS
- Manchester United's manager is urged to change his style of leadership in the locker room
- Ajax legend Danny Blind comments on Solskjaer's lack of a clear directive
- The Red Devils have a chance to take the top spot from Chelsea if they win on October 16
Trouble is reportedly brewing in the Manchester United locker room, and a new report points at manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the reason.
According to a report from The Athletic, the Norwegian’s managerial style needs to change soon.
“A fair interpretation may be to reflect Solskjaer’s team had performed well over the winter months and that blip need not be turned into a crisis. He’d been irate at half-time too. Yet The Athletic has been told players felt a tremor was needed. They need to be scared they’re going to get a mouthful,” the report wrote.
Fans have been unhappy with how Solskjaer is running the ship for the past couple of years, and his side’s 1-1 draw against Everton last October 2 fanned the flames even further.
AFC Ajax legend Danny Blind also criticized Solskjaer for his demeanor and lack of identifiable tactics on the field.
“What is the identity of this team? What is his plan? It is exactly that what is missing with [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer,” Blind told the Daily Mail recently.
“There is not a tactical plan. His team are not able to put pressure on their opponents like Manchester City. It does not always have to be full pressing, but we don't see any of it–everything in the [Manchester] United team is based on the individual qualities of players.”
Citing the Everton match, Blind also mentioned that Manchester United started settling on the defensive end and allowed Everton to cross the middle of the pitch as they wanted to go on a counterattack.
When the club acquired Cristiano Ronaldo during this summer, the belief was that the club would be more inclined to play a strong, in-your-face attacking gameplan instead of sitting and waiting for a counterattack.
At the start of the season, that certainly seemed to be the case as they rattled off a dominant 5-1 victory over Leeds United.
However, the club struggled mightily in September after a disappointing loss to Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League group stage, followed by a loss to West Ham United in the English League Cup, finally being punctuated with the Everton draw.
Fellow summer signings Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane have made an impact, but the Red Devils’ struggles are more on the backend of the midfield.
Fred and Aaron Wan-Bissaka--both decent defensive midfielders--have allowed their defenders to get past them for easy scoring opportunities and fan opinion has soured on them as well.
Manchester United currently shares the fourth spot with Manchester City, two points behind league leaders Chelsea.
Solskjaer and the Red Devils will need to put on a statement victory on Saturday, October 16 when they visit Leicester City if they hope to convince fans that they are true title contenders this season.
