Has Solskjær really perked up United or is it yet another false dawn?
2020 was supposed to be the year that propelled the human race to greater heights. To say that it has not lived up to expectations would be putting it mildly. Jose Mourinho is the current Tottenham manager, Arsenal are drudging ever so deeper into a relegation dogfight, Liverpool have lifted the league title after a 30-year hiatus, and fans are no longer allowed into stadiums. Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the man famous for the quote “My job’s on the line boys”, and for the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final, of course, is leading Manchester United on the path to the league title in what is turning out to be the most 2020ish thing of them all.
United fans started the season with a sense of déjà vu as their team succumbed to a 1–3 defeat at home to Crystal Palace. The Red Devils, led by the baby-faced assassin in Solskjær have managed to turn their season around and are currently sitting in third, with just 5 points separating them and league leaders Liverpool. Bearing in mind that United do have a game in hand, a win would see them cut the lead to 2 points, just one season after they finished 33 points behind champions Liverpool.
Say what you want about the man in the United hot seat but credit is due where credit is deserved. The signing of Bruno Fernandes has galvanized a side that, only a year ago, were toughing it out for a Champions League spot. Fernandes has provided the spark the side were yearning for. The Portuguese has been involved in 29 goals in 27 matches and has found a place for himself as the talisman of the team.
Now, at this juncture, a question may arise. How has one signing, who hasn’t even spent a year in Manchester, reinvigorated a team that was languishing in the Europa League positions this time around last year?
Solskjær’s United have tended to fall under the label of a classic counter-attacking team. Against top-6 sides, last season, Solskjær’s men sat deep and hit their opponents on the counter. This strategy worked so well that they managed to beat their rivals Manchester City thrice in the same season.
However, when it came to facing sides in the bottom half of the table, sides that were happy to relinquish possession and play on the counter themselves, United struggled. With Solskjær’s inputs from the sidelines lacking tactically, the Red Devils went into a dazed state when asked to play their way through tightly packed defences. In short, they were shorn of creativity.
(G90- Goals-per 90, xG90- Expected goals per 90, Sh90- Shots-per 90, A90- Assists per 90, xA- Expected assists per 90, KP90- Key passes per 90, xGChain90 — Expected Goals from chain possessions/90, xGBuildup90 — Expected goals from buildup play/90)
Their creator-in-chief Paul Pogba was absent for large swathes of the season with injury and they had no dependable back-up. That is until Fernandes arrived on English shores of course. He took a team shorn of confidence, grabbed it by the scruff of its neck, and drove United into the Champions League. And now, it looks as though he might bring them their first Premier League title since 2013.
Without Fernandes, United look like a team from the bottom half of the table, as illustrated by their performance in the first half against West Ham United. Fernandes is the key to this United machine. He can unlock defences with ease, tracks back, and can also tuck away penalties with relative ease.
Manchester United’s title chances thus hinge entirely on the Portuguese’s shoulders. His fitness and form should be of primary concern to Solskjær and co. Donny Van de Beek may seem like a ready-made replacement and yes, there is the Pogba factor, but neither of them can have the same impact that Fernandes has on the team. A born leader, a goal scorer, and a creator, Fernandes is the entire package.
If United and Fernandes in particular, carry on in the same vein, then no one can stop them from lifting their first Premier League title in 7 years.
