Ole Gunnar Solskjaer marked his 100th game as Manchester United boss in Sunday’s narrow defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford.
If he makes it to 200 games, it is likely he will still face questions and criticism over his role.
It’s his cross to bear. He is a former legend of the club who lacks both experience and success as a manager. Despite some landmark results, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still has not brought consistency to the Manchester United team.
United’s blitz of RB Leipzig in the Champions League in midweek was cause for optimism. However, the 1 – 0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday highlighted Solskjaer’s unsolved midfield conundrum.
Read: Mikel Arteta Not To Blame For Arsenal’s Attacking Woes
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has six center midfielders to choose from. Paul Pogba, Fred, Scott McTominay, Donny Van de Beek, Bruno Fernandes and Nemanja Matic.
He cannot play more than three of those in any given match. Manchester United’s decision to sign the highly rated Van de Beek has been called into question over this. Do they really need him?
The fantastic result against Leipzig was achieved by using a midfield diamond. The empathic nature of the win caused many to wonder if that was the blueprint for United going forward.
But against Arsenal on Sunday, the Manchester United midfield was dominated. While they only lost by one goal in a tight game, they never looked like dominating the play. Yes, Arsenal had new signing Thomas Partey in the middle, but they also had Mohammed Elneny, whose chance to succeed at Arsenal was gone two years ago.
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Paul Pogba was an inspirational leader for France when they won the 2018 World Cup. Such talent and profile demands that he plays as much as possible.
However, he has so far failed to hit the heights that were expected of him in Manchester. Pogba’s agent has been making noise which suggests that his client will seek a move away.
This could be a blessing in disguise for United, who could then build their midfield around the impressive Bruno Fernandes and Donny Van de Beek.
