Manchester United’s struggle between romance and maximisation of resources
A conundrum for a club not equipped to handle one.
There have been questions of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s suitability to the role of Manchester United manager since day one.
Pundits, analysts and journalists have all wondered whether the Norwegian was capable of delivering results and trophies for the club.
Almost three years later, Solskjaer has come close to silverware but he is yet to lift any trophies as manager.
However, if he was to leave effective immediately then he’ll have left the club in a better place than where he found it.
When he arrived, following the sacking of Jose Mourinho, the mood around the team was visibly awful.
Currently, the team all seems relatively happy with the progress they have made in the last couple of seasons .
Solskjaer has also done a respectable job of replacing unwanted players and generally improving the age of the squad.
He started by selling Maourane Fellaini, an unfortunate symbol of United’s mediocrity since the David Moyes days, and has slowly shifted out other unfortunate symbols such as Alexis Sanchez, Ashley Young and Chris Smalling.
The signings that have come in have been smarter. They haven’t all necessarily worked out, but by targeting that younger profile they have been able to retain their value.
While the likes of Sanchez went for nothing, Daniel James was sold for profit.
That United now have more leverage in the selling market is a testament to an improvement in how the club is run — and likely isn’t something Solskjaer alone is responsible for either.
In that time, the on-pitch results have also improved. United have been competitive in the Big Six mini-table and have picked up plenty of great wins against the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham.
United have also rejoined the elite as a comfortably and consistently top four team — something Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho struggled with.
The progress has been obvious and Solskjaer will leave United someday with that as a credit to him. And in the meantime, the fans have had fun and enjoyed the “no tactics, just vibes,” attitude to supporting the club.
But, despite the points being on the board six games into the league season, the performances lately have been pretty dire.
United are only one point off the top, with 13 points from 18. But Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea have all played one of each other and by Sunday they’ll all have met once in a three-way table. Yet the Red Devils haven’t faced any of their supposed title rivals.
The loss to Aston Villa was indicative of their recent performances. Wins away to Wolves and West Ham were fortuitous and the draw to Southampton didn’t inspire great confidence.
The late victory over Villareal didn’t set the world alight either.
The results just don’t look sustainable. The warning signs are there and fans are worried about a total collapse. The good vibes have vanished.
Solskjaer has turned things around before, this isn’t the first time he’s been under pressure.
But the central issue everyone circles back to when he is under such scrutiny is why Solskjaer is the manager of a club this big?
Is he as good as his competitors? Not even close.
Are there, and have there been, better options out there that United could easily attract? Loads of them.
Why are the club persisting with the 48-year old despite those answers?
It’s a surprisingly difficult question to answer. The least complicated answer is simply that United aren’t a well run club and have struggled with maximising their resources for a long time.
Because that is the conundrum that is at the forefront of all discussions around United. Solskjaer isn’t doing a bad job, but he’s also not the best man for the job.
That failure to maximise their resources, as rivals have done, frustrates outsiders because it is an illogical thing to do in this increasingly capitalist world.
It is romantic to have Solskjaer as manager. And there is a beauty to it. There is this idea that a trophy win during his tenure will be more “special” than if some flavour of the month achieves success.
This leaves United in an awkward position. Performances have been poor, but results are okay. Champions League status is secure, but no obvious and suitable men are out there to make that leap to major trophy winning status.
So, in a way United are stuck with Solskjaer because they know he can deliver top four and a cup run. He’s been able to provide good vibes along the way so it’s made accepting him as United manager easier.
But suddenly the vibes have been dangerously poor.
If that persists then the magic of the romance to Solskjaer’s reign will dry up and it will prompt many fans to wake up and ask how better could United maximise their resources?
In this cold, results-based world, pundits, analysts and journalists will always continue to wonder about Solskjaer. But if fans stop enjoying it and start to wonder, too, what a more successful manager could do with these players then that will truly signal the beginning of the end.
