Manchester United have won just two of their last seven, and only one in their last five. With a poor run of results, such as these, it’s no surprise that morale within the team is low.
There have been multiple reports of sadness within the dressing room, and with every L that compounds, the #OleOut brigade grows. Deservedly so, as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continues to look unfit for the gig.
Manchester United vs Atalanta (UCL) FYIs
Kick: Wed Oct 20, 8pm BST, Old Trafford
United Team News: go here
TV: BT Sport 3
UCL Standings, Form Guide: United 3rd, 3pts, WL Atalanta 1st, 4pts, WD
Can he turn it around? Well, maybe, maybe not, but it doesn’t help that he has a squad more resembling a fantasy team than actual cohesive unit. He has too many forwards and attacking midfielders, not enough defensive midfielders, too many weaknesses in defense as the forwards are either playing out of position or not living up to their expectations.
While Cristiano Ronaldo is Ronaldo, and he’s awesome, his arrival created a lot of tactical problems, and Ole wasn’t really good with tactics to begin with. Consider all of these realities and factors when making your first team prediction!
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction vs Atalanta
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Shaw; Fred, McTominay; Greenwood, Fernandes, Ronaldo; Cavani
Prediction: United 2, Atalanta 1
OGS always seems to somehow get result, even if it’s ugly, whenever he’s cornered like this.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
He co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.