@lysglimt, love your post, want to address a couple of specifics as I view them:
If 5 players get hamstring injuries - there's usually something wrong at the club. If 5 players get freak injuries or get injured due to nasty tackles - it's bad luck.
This is my main real concern, we had a lot of conditioning-type injuries that make me worry about warmup/cooldown procedures at the club. And not just pre-/post-game, but at training, too.
We are not there - we don't have the squad for it, we haven't implemented a playing-style yet, and OGS doesn't know the players well enough to know who he can trust (but I think he is getting closer)
I disagree a little that we haven't implemented a playing style yet. I don't think he has all the pieces in place, but particularly in the last two games, and a bit less so in the recent games preceding them, I'm seeing consistent pass attempts that show a certain expectation of players. Sometimes the receivers aren't there (saw a couple of glaring miscues yesterday and Sunday), sometimes the pass is just bad, and sometimes the defenses are just doing their jobs, but I can definitely see intent and Ole seems to want a more flowing front line. Martial/Rashford/James have the ability to do it, and they were really moving yesterday, though mostly to little effect.
Additionally, I think Ole has figured out who he can trust, but because of the thinness of the squad and the talent level at certain positions, that trust can only take him so far. Often he doesn't have a choice in who he puts on the field - injuries and schedule have dictated the lineup far too frequently. As for the players he flat-out doesn't trust... or didn't... they're gone. (Herrera being the exception, Ole wanted him, but that horse was already out of the barn before Ole took over.)
And when we lose Pogba and Martial - in addition to a lot of other injuries - it hurts us. It's not an excuse - but it's an explanation.
Realistically, it is the clear explanation - Thin Squad + Injuries = Problems. If you have your mind made up - Anything = Excuses.
Two other things:
The whole "lowered expectations" thing drives me nuts. Not expecting to challenge for the title, or top-four, is not "lowered expectations." My expectations are for those things as the squad allows. My expectations in our current situation are to be working towards challenging. That's not "lowered," that's "realistic."
The other is the complaints about our defensive nature. Until we get Pogba back, along with one or two more creative, attacking midfielders, Ole has little choice in how this is going to go. He has the personnel to be defensive and the speed to counter-attack so that's how he's going. In spite of that, he continues a high press (how much of the Norwich game did we have the defensive three on their side of the field?) because he's got pretty good pace at the back, too (Batshuayi goal notwithstanding). Against the weaker teams, we'll still do fine with what we have. They're gaining understanding and execution is improving.