Manchester United’s 2-0 home defeat against Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday was a much-needed wake-up call for their boardroom.
Ten wins in 11 before the game and it seems like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is magic, here to save United from the boring football brought by Jose Mourinho. He’s now got them back into the top four which seemed an impossible task.
However, the results have merely papered over the cracks that lie in the heart of United’s defence and midfield. Sir Alex Ferguson failed to replace Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic and each manager since has failed too.
How Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have earned themselves new contracts is anyone’s guess, and the Red Devils have paid the price for Ed Woodward’s stubbornness in summer when he refused to capture top targets Toby Alderweireld or Harry Maguire. Everyone could tell United needed better defenders apart from the people at the club controlling the money.
Without a solid base to build from, United haven’t been able to commit enough men forward to create an exciting brand of football. Players who worry about the solidity of their defence are more likely to be cautious with their passing and movement when they have the ball, worried they might be susceptible to a counter-attack.
Solskjaer has injected belief into the players, and that cautiousness appears to have gone. That’s great against lesser teams because United’s defence is good enough to withstand their attacks, but against teams like PSG that confidence turns to carelessness.
For United to successfully play the football their fans long for, they must strengthen at the back this summer or risk jumping back on the managerial merry-go-round.
Indeed, it turns out Mourinho was right to complain all along.
Who do you think United should buy in summer?
