A Postmortem on Ole's Time at the Wheel

Ole Gunnar Solskjær on the touchline during a Manchester United game. (photo by Getty Images)

In 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson, the most successful manager in history, stepped down from his role as manager of Manchester United, and United subsequently ventured into the wilderness. 8 years and 4 managers later, and they still haven’t found their way out.

The latest manager to take on the task of revitalizing United post-Ferguson was Ole Gunnar Solskjær, a club legend most famous for his 1999 Champions League winning goal. After being given the job on an interim basis, Ole got off to a flying start, as he was awarded Premier League Manager of the Month after his first full month in charge and won 14 of his first 19 matches. The United board subsequently rewarded Ole by giving him the job on a permanent basis. United’s most memorable moment during Ole’s first season was the night in Paris where United came back from 2-0 aggregate deficit to PSG to punch their ticket to the Champions League quarter finals.

Solskjær celebrating with the United's traveling supporters following United's win in Paris. (photo by Getty Images)

 United’s second season under Ole got off to a fairly inconspicuous start, as United sat fifth in the league table before the hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. United were phenomenal upon returning from lockdown, as they took 21 from a possible 27 remaining points and secured a 3rd place finish in the league. The following year’s start was less than ideal, as United sat 15th in the table after losing 3 of their first 6 games, including a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Tottenham. Following a 2-1 defeat to İstanbul Başakşehir in the Champions League, it seemed as though Ole was on the hot seat, but he was able to stave off any rumors of his demise by breaking off a run of good form. Ole led the Red Devils to a 2nd place finish in the league and a trip to the Europa League Final, which United lost on penalties in disappointing fashion. Despite Ole failing to win any silverware and failing to make it out of 2020 Champions League group stages, hopes were high that Ole was solidifying himself as the man to return Manchester United to its rightful place at the top of English football. United were on an incredible streak of 26 league games unbeaten away from home, and there was a feeling of optimism surrounding the club that had been sorely missed since Ferguson’s departure. The boring, conservative play style that characterized Jose Mourinho’s tenure at United had been replaced by a quick, counter attacking style that was welcomed by the United faithful. Key players such as Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Bruno Fernandes, and Edinson Cavani were all brought in during Ole’s tenure, and players such as Paul Pogba and Luke Shaw were playing some of the best football of their careers. Academy graduates Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, and Scott McTominay were all regular first team players, an incredibly important thing for a club that has proclaimed its three pillars to be “Youth, Courage, and Success”. To add to the excitement, Ole was enthusiastically backed by the board this past transfer window as the club shelled out more than $100 million to acquire Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Now that we are 12 games into the Premier League season and Ole Gunnar Solskjær is no longer the manager of Manchester United, obviously things did not go to plan for the Norwegian man. While Cristiano Ronaldo did hit the ground running at Old Trafford, he has been one of the few bright spots for a team that has performed far below expectations this year. Ronaldo’s fellow new signing, Jadon Sancho, has struggled to get into the swing of things, and even though David de Gea has refound his world class form, he has not been able to prevent Manchester United from conceding 29 goals from 17 games due to some shambolic defending. Even United’s wins this year have been far from comfortable, as United often found themselves out played for most of the match only to score an undeserved winner in the closing moments. Subpar results are bad enough, but Ole was always going to find it tough to keep his job when his side was consistently outplayed by teams such as Aston Villa and BSC Young Boys. The culmination of these poor performances was a 4-1 defeat to Watford, a result so unacceptable that even a Manchester United board that seemed incredibly wary to move on from Solskjær finally decided that it was time for a new man to steer the ship.

Ole conducting his farewell interview from Manchester United. (photo by Manchester United)

So who will be the new man in charge? In the meantime, former United player Michael Carrick, who was a part of Ole’s backroom staff, will be managing the Red Devils. When rumors of Ole’s demise began circulating earlier this season, Antonio Conte was heavily linked to the position, as reporting done by Fabrizio Romano made clear that Conte would accept the job if offered to him. However, Ole managed to hang on to the United job for a bit longer, and Conte has since accepted a role as the manager of Tottenham. Given that Conte has in the past found great success with clubs such as Juventus, Chelsea, and Inter Milan, it’s fair to ask why the United board passed on the opportunity to hire the Italian manager. The prevailing theory is that the board was wary of bringing someone on who has a reputation for clashing with executives and has never stayed at one club for longer than 4 years. While part of me thinks United is in no place to be turning its nose up at a manager of the pedigree of Conte, I do understand why the board didn’t want to bring someone on who was unlikely to stay for more than a few years. Following the parade of failed United managers post-Ferguson, the board needs to be confident that the next man they hire can find success at Old Trafford for years to come. So who might this next man be? One name being floated around is Mauricio Pochettino, current manager of PSG. While it seems as though Poch is definitely interested in the United job, it’s unclear whether he would be willing to leave the Parc des Princes mid-season to make the switch to Old Trafford. The same could be said for Erik ten Hag, the promising, dynamic manager of Ajax who is also unlikely to leave his post mid-season. Whomever Manchester United decides to make its next manager, I can only hope that he is able to lead United back to the top of English football.