Today provided an opportunity for Manchester United to go top of the table, at least temporarily before the the Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City results came in, but the Red Devils completely blew it.
They have dominated Everton at home in the league, lately, but all they could manage was a single point, as the two sides settled for a 1-1 draw. United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has won just four of his last nine across all competitions and picked up only one point of a possible six in league play.
this match moved into #OleOut town.
I had been living just outside the border, in #OleI'mOnTheFenceAbout https://t.co/3BFGgcTnQO— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) October 2, 2021
They have also failed to keep a clean sheet in nine league games — their worst defensive run in 50 years. Today’s draw with Everton, once again, saw them maintain but ultimately waste possession. Time and time again OGS’ United have been extremely wasteful possession, and on Saturday they dominated that statistic 71%-29%.
It really seems that the Norwegian is really in over his depth at United. This comment from Solskjaer is very telling:
“We gave them a few counter attacks. I don’t know the stats. I know we had the ball most of the time. They didn’t play through us, they counter attacked.
“That was the same on Wednesday night.”
We need to be better on when not to risk it, when not to be counter-attacked. That is the key lesson today because they do create big chances on quick breaks.”
The pressure has to be rising on the manager, who still hasn’t won a trophy, in 151 games managed with the club. If not now, then when? His very questionable line-up decisions today, alone, are worthy of increased scrutiny.
“We could have dealt with the situation better,” Solskjaer admitted in regards to Andros Townsend’s equalizer.
“I thought we started well, high energy, created some good openings and scored a fantastic goal — second half we lacked that cutting edge to get the second, which is vital in a game like this.”
One has to wonder when enough is enough, right? The pressure must be rising on him by this point, correct?
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.
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