Both Norwich and Bournemouth have a rather naive approach to their tactics that might be just what we need to grab a couple of scrappy wins (or 4 points from possible six). This may see us climb a few positions on the PL table and make Woodward hesitant to swing the axe. But he will be doing nothing more than delaying the inevitable. Solskjaer is a rigid coach who places a lot of value in the man-management side of the managerial job. He put a lot of stock into "the young & hungry lads who will run their socks off for the badge" without caring much about the fact that Pogba represents more than half of our creativity and that we were a Martial injury away from changing roles to all the "3" and the "1" in his preferred 4231. And now we have them both injured, we're struggling to create chances, we're two points off relegation and the whole squad looks befuddled, disillusioned and devoid of all confidence. Ain't reality a bitch?
We've been there before with Moyes: Everyone and their dog could tell you that he was clearly out of his depth by the end of November/early December of 2013. Especially when a good run of games that should have boosted our spirits ended abruptly with two draws away at Cardiff and Spurs (lucky not to lose at The Lane) and back to back home defeats at the hands of the mighty Everton and Newcastle. Yet, we managed to have a good December overall with wins against cannon fodder and this bought Moyes more time. To achieve what exactly, no one knows, besides Woodward. Perhaps the feeble hope of getting into top-four when it was more than obvious that the team was under coached, directionless and hoping that Januzaj would prove to be our lord and saviour.
We're in a similar position now but with even worse players. Solskjaer seems to be bereft of any good ideas tactically because he clearly didn't expect us to perform so badly. Furthermore, running players to the ground in the summer may lead to fatigue and muscle injuries which is why you should be careful when you decide to trim down the squad by leaving very few experienced players in it. Heavy rotation by including the academy players is good but it can be successful only when a reliable system is already set in place and the roles between the players can be distinguished. Otherwise, you're left with a few positive things to utter in the pressers and your good intentions. Words that at some point not even you believe while good intentions can't buy you more time when there's nothing tangible to show for. The only difference is that Solskjaer hasn't said anything like "we aspire to be like City" or that "even Fergie would struggle with this side" yet (although some top reds are doing this work for him).
In the end, his assessment of the squad's abilities failed miserably. Blame Woodward all you like, it is a fact right in front of your eyes. As if the "United way" alone would turn the youngsters and the local lads into game-changers and as if giving both Martial/Rashford new lucrative deals would suddenly make them senior players ready to carry the team on their shoulders. Now, he's resorted to more cautious tactics, he's desperately searching for experience and guidance on the pitch to the likes of Mata, Matic and Young and he's trying to convince the whole world that what we're watching on the pitch is "normal". Oh, and we're linked with 30+ footballers to save the day for us.
There's no rebuilding here, only a continuous fall from grace. It's sad that a club legend can't fix it but it's the reality of things. And not even two wins against extremely poor sides will probably change that. Keeping him until the end of the season (or more) can only help our fanbase achieve one thing: slowly and steadily accept mediocrity and finally embrace it. And to think that we used to laugh at Arsenal and their 4th place trophy.