When Manchester United defeated Thomas Tuchel’s PSG in spectacular manner,there was only going to be one outcome.Ole becoming permanent manager,since that time Ole’s side has finished 3rd & 2nd respectively in his two full seasons in charge, throw in 4 semifinals & an European cup final & a nice little picture of a man that has worked wonders with is painted.
Cynically,it can also be pointed out that his 3rd place finish was achieved with 66 points the same number of points that was only good enough for 6th the previous season while his 2nd place finish was actually a distant 13 points behind the Champions & only cale about because Liverpool defenders seemed to be made out of glass & the Lampard experiment was still in full flow at Chelsea.All this and the meek surrender to Leicester City & Villareal in the FA Cup semis & Europa final despite inferior budgets makes Ole look like some lucky chap who won a lottery to be the Manchester United manager.
Invariably the truth is somewhere in between,Ole is neither world class,his use of substitutes is baffling even when his substitutes combine to win him games,it feels like it was achieved due to individual brilliance rather than some genius tactical work nor is he as bad as some fans will have you believe,this is the manager with the longest unbeaten away record in EPL history & who can forget that glorious night in Paris.
The conundrum is what makes you wonder how long should the process be trusted before the wheels start to fall off?.Ole has had ample time to put his stamp on the team.Gary Neville memorably quipped that he needs more transfer windows,he has had 5 yet there is no discernable style of play, it’s pitiful watching Manchester United amass 75% ball possession yet struggle to create clear cut chances all this while defending as if they never held training sessions together.Defeats to Istanbul Basaksehir F.K,Young Boys, Villareal & Leicester City has shown how much Ole seems out of his depth,even victories against Brighton, Villareal & West Ham were achieved by individual inspiration & wastefulness of the opposition.Ole has spent the most in his period as manager & no longer has any excuse especially with CR7 in the squad the ante has been upped,Ole needs to start winning & winning soon.
Football Rants 