I want to make it clear at the outset that this is not a defence of Solskjaer, so to speak. I am not interested in defending or attacking managers at this point. The point is to address this notion that we have to play a certain style of football because 'we're Man United'.
Under Solskjaer, United were branded a 'counter-attacking team'. Whilst this wasn't quite true in the strictest sense of the word, we certainly played more conservatively, with a deeper defensive line, and relied on fast breaks and/or the so-called 'moments of magic' to win games.
In Solskjaer's first season, we finished 3rd, somewhat miraculously, after barely stringing two good performances together all year. The football was dour, we finished miles off the top, we didn't win a trophy...but we did finish 3rd and I don't recall us being thrashed/ embarrassed often, if at all.
Now...and this is the very important part...if you all think back to the start of Solskjaer's 2nd season, the general consensus from fans and pundits was that Solskjaer had done an OK job of stabilising the club but that we would never win anything by playing football this way and that we were somehow 'lucky'. In fact, many of our own fans made the argument that our 3rd the previous season was a false-position somehow, although I don't buy that personally. So, and this is the important part, we saw that in the first home game of Solskjaer's second full season, we played Spurs and tried to implement this 'progressive' style with a high-line...and I am sure you all remember very well we got absolutely destroyed, with the game finishing 1-6.
After this, Solskjaer quickly abandoned any thoughts of 'progressive' football and went back to his comfortable 4-2-3-1 middle-block with fast breaks. Once again, we ground out results and we managed to finish 2nd...however, again, we finished miles off City. As many will recall, we also reached an FA Cup Semi and a Europa League Final. Again, these achievements were written-off by fans and pundits, who talked about how we didn't play 'the United way' and that Solskjaer had to win a trophy.
Personally, I think we did very well to achieve those cup runs and that league position with what was essentially the 4th or 5th best squad in the league, but that wasn't enough for the 'we're Man United' brigade who somehow think we've a God-given right to win things! I believe it's stupid to set goals based on what the club might have achieved in the past and we should be more appreciative of were we are/were as a club. Sometimes finishing second and getting to cup finals isn't to be sniffed at!
However, once again, under pressure from fans and the media, and armed with three fancy new signings (Ronaldo, Varane and Sancho), United tried to implement progressive football at the start of Solskjaer's third season...only this time, we didn't abandon it, we got torn apart week after week by very average sides and destroyed by the good one's, culminating in Solskjaer getting the sack at Christmas. Many at the time, myself included, highlighted Solskjaer's lack of coaching experience and suggested that a better coach COULD have coached these players to play a more progressive style.
We saw Ralf Rangnick arrive in January on an interim basis and we all expected to see a high-line and aggressive, pressing football. This happened for about 25 minutes in Ralf's first game versus Crystal Palace and then we never saw it again. Like Solskjaer, Rangnick stuck to the more progressive style and slowly but surely, as soon as we started to play better sides, we got absolutely torn apart again. "Yes but Ralf hasn't coached a side in a decade" argued many of our fans, " and his backroom team lacked top-level experience". "That's why we failed to implement this more progressive style".
So...here we are now, 6-months later...another new manager in the hot-seat, this time a successful, modern-day manager who is widely regarded as an excellent 'coach'. Once again, ETH has attempted to implement a progressive system and once again, we have been absolutely savaged by two very limited sides. So what's the problem now? How many more managers do we need to go through before we realise this is a road to nowhere?
At this point, it is clear to me that we do not have the squad to play possession-based, progressive pressing football with a high-line. Continuing to try to do this with the likes of De Gea, Ronaldo, McTominay, Fred, Dalot etc...is footballing suicide. We are turning-up and playing right into our opponents hands by playing a system that actually nullifies any strengths we might have and exacerbates the weaknesses. It should be abandoned, the line should be dropped, we should forget the idea of a press and we should go back to looking to hit teams on the break.
Now, at this point, I am expecting a flood of responses about how 'this is not the United way' or how 'we'll never get anywhere doing this' but I think that badly misses the point. This team are just not capable of playing a 'progressive' style. Ronaldo is 37, Varane and Maguire are 29. De Gea is 30. McTominay and Fred are 26 and 28. Shaw is 26. These are predominantly senior internationals who have been playing football their entire lives...the phrase 'can't teach an old dog new tricks' has never been more apt. We could have Pep, Klopp and Nagelsmann in charge...it wouldn't make any difference. Pep couldn't coach Joe Hart to be a progressive GK any more than he could coach DDG, so he got rid, and quickly.
IF we decide that we do ultimately want to play this progressive, aggressive style, we need a new squad. Simple as that. However, we're not Man City or Chelsea, who through their purchase by a Sugar Daddy could change their entire squad in three windows. It's going to take us several windows to get from this squad to a new squad. I believe the choice is very, very simple...do we want to spend the next few seasons getting absolutely spanked by the likes of Brentford, Watford and Brighton playing 'modern' football...or do we want nice, pleasant 3rd/4th/5th place finishes and the odd cup run with an 'old-fashioned' style?
Of course, the goal is, whilst we stabilise, we add quality players in the right positions who CAN play progressive football...so that in two or three seasons, we have a young, hungry squad capable of doing what Arsenal have done and transitioning from a fairly outdated style to a much more modern style based on young, hungry, aggressive players.
Under Solskjaer, United were branded a 'counter-attacking team'. Whilst this wasn't quite true in the strictest sense of the word, we certainly played more conservatively, with a deeper defensive line, and relied on fast breaks and/or the so-called 'moments of magic' to win games.
In Solskjaer's first season, we finished 3rd, somewhat miraculously, after barely stringing two good performances together all year. The football was dour, we finished miles off the top, we didn't win a trophy...but we did finish 3rd and I don't recall us being thrashed/ embarrassed often, if at all.
Now...and this is the very important part...if you all think back to the start of Solskjaer's 2nd season, the general consensus from fans and pundits was that Solskjaer had done an OK job of stabilising the club but that we would never win anything by playing football this way and that we were somehow 'lucky'. In fact, many of our own fans made the argument that our 3rd the previous season was a false-position somehow, although I don't buy that personally. So, and this is the important part, we saw that in the first home game of Solskjaer's second full season, we played Spurs and tried to implement this 'progressive' style with a high-line...and I am sure you all remember very well we got absolutely destroyed, with the game finishing 1-6.
After this, Solskjaer quickly abandoned any thoughts of 'progressive' football and went back to his comfortable 4-2-3-1 middle-block with fast breaks. Once again, we ground out results and we managed to finish 2nd...however, again, we finished miles off City. As many will recall, we also reached an FA Cup Semi and a Europa League Final. Again, these achievements were written-off by fans and pundits, who talked about how we didn't play 'the United way' and that Solskjaer had to win a trophy.
Personally, I think we did very well to achieve those cup runs and that league position with what was essentially the 4th or 5th best squad in the league, but that wasn't enough for the 'we're Man United' brigade who somehow think we've a God-given right to win things! I believe it's stupid to set goals based on what the club might have achieved in the past and we should be more appreciative of were we are/were as a club. Sometimes finishing second and getting to cup finals isn't to be sniffed at!
However, once again, under pressure from fans and the media, and armed with three fancy new signings (Ronaldo, Varane and Sancho), United tried to implement progressive football at the start of Solskjaer's third season...only this time, we didn't abandon it, we got torn apart week after week by very average sides and destroyed by the good one's, culminating in Solskjaer getting the sack at Christmas. Many at the time, myself included, highlighted Solskjaer's lack of coaching experience and suggested that a better coach COULD have coached these players to play a more progressive style.
We saw Ralf Rangnick arrive in January on an interim basis and we all expected to see a high-line and aggressive, pressing football. This happened for about 25 minutes in Ralf's first game versus Crystal Palace and then we never saw it again. Like Solskjaer, Rangnick stuck to the more progressive style and slowly but surely, as soon as we started to play better sides, we got absolutely torn apart again. "Yes but Ralf hasn't coached a side in a decade" argued many of our fans, " and his backroom team lacked top-level experience". "That's why we failed to implement this more progressive style".
So...here we are now, 6-months later...another new manager in the hot-seat, this time a successful, modern-day manager who is widely regarded as an excellent 'coach'. Once again, ETH has attempted to implement a progressive system and once again, we have been absolutely savaged by two very limited sides. So what's the problem now? How many more managers do we need to go through before we realise this is a road to nowhere?
At this point, it is clear to me that we do not have the squad to play possession-based, progressive pressing football with a high-line. Continuing to try to do this with the likes of De Gea, Ronaldo, McTominay, Fred, Dalot etc...is footballing suicide. We are turning-up and playing right into our opponents hands by playing a system that actually nullifies any strengths we might have and exacerbates the weaknesses. It should be abandoned, the line should be dropped, we should forget the idea of a press and we should go back to looking to hit teams on the break.
Now, at this point, I am expecting a flood of responses about how 'this is not the United way' or how 'we'll never get anywhere doing this' but I think that badly misses the point. This team are just not capable of playing a 'progressive' style. Ronaldo is 37, Varane and Maguire are 29. De Gea is 30. McTominay and Fred are 26 and 28. Shaw is 26. These are predominantly senior internationals who have been playing football their entire lives...the phrase 'can't teach an old dog new tricks' has never been more apt. We could have Pep, Klopp and Nagelsmann in charge...it wouldn't make any difference. Pep couldn't coach Joe Hart to be a progressive GK any more than he could coach DDG, so he got rid, and quickly.
IF we decide that we do ultimately want to play this progressive, aggressive style, we need a new squad. Simple as that. However, we're not Man City or Chelsea, who through their purchase by a Sugar Daddy could change their entire squad in three windows. It's going to take us several windows to get from this squad to a new squad. I believe the choice is very, very simple...do we want to spend the next few seasons getting absolutely spanked by the likes of Brentford, Watford and Brighton playing 'modern' football...or do we want nice, pleasant 3rd/4th/5th place finishes and the odd cup run with an 'old-fashioned' style?
Of course, the goal is, whilst we stabilise, we add quality players in the right positions who CAN play progressive football...so that in two or three seasons, we have a young, hungry squad capable of doing what Arsenal have done and transitioning from a fairly outdated style to a much more modern style based on young, hungry, aggressive players.
