With a hectic festive period now behind them, Manchester United can look back on what has already been a rollercoaster season. The Red Devils sit fifth in the Premier League with a record reading nine wins, seven draws and seven defeats.
Not what Ole Gunnar Solskjær and his men had planned for, but they remain in the hunt for a top four finish. Winning the Premier League crown was always going to be a big ask for the young, progressive squad but a Champions League finish was set out as the priority back in summer. With 23 games in the book they are five points behind Chelsea.
All to play for at Old Trafford
There’s still plenty of football to be played before spring and United will aim to kick-off, overthrow old rivals Chelsea and take The Blues’ fourth place. The team lost twice in January on Premier League duty, going down to Arsenal on the opening day of 2020 at the Emirates Stadium and Liverpool at Anfield on 19 January. Two games they were expected to lose by most pundits, but those defeats did help crank up the pressure on Solskjær and his coaching staff.
Where will Manchester United finish this season. You can make your predictions on a top four finish or not at many leading bookmakers. There is also over 100 markets available on each Man Utd match played between now and the end of the season. Place your bets at one of the best betting sites for football and you could celebrate United’s success with a profit.
Deals done in January will make all the difference
Heading into the thick of January and while many leagues around Europe enjoy a brief winter break, it’s business as usual in the top flight of English football. The fixtures continue to come and there’s now the added distraction for mangers of the January transfer window. With the division poised for a thrilling second half, deals done at this stage of the campaign will have a major impact on where teams finish the season. Signings made and missed will have a huge bearing on the final standings. Between Champions League and Europa League, prizes and midtable. The pressure is mounting.
As many football managers do, Solskjær will have drawn up a transfer wish list and submitted it to the board. What Ole has that many gaffers don’t boast, however, is access to an earth-shattering bank balance, the cash available making the young manager the envy of most in the game. Will he continue the kind of spending spree we witnessed back in the summer or will he make do with what he has, placing his faith in his squad? Will Ole continue to target youth and hunger or will he spot the need for calm, experienced heads in the dressing room?
All will be revealed in the coming weeks but there has been a rumour circling recently that the Manchester United board may not trust their manager with the cheque book again. He made some big money transfers in July and August but most of those brought in have failed to impress, filed under a work in process. If the board believe Solskjær is treading on thin ice, walking a managerial tightrope, they may be reluctant to give him the same type of backing we saw last year. There certainly has been no lack of calls for management change from the stands, former players and pundits, although others are keen for patient heads.
Fans want success today
The names reported to be on Solskjær’s winter transfer list include Bruno Fernandes and Edison Cavani. Both would demand a sizeable transfer fee and they would need to be convinced a move to Old Trafford was right for them. Fernandes and Cavani want to be regulars in the Champions League – as most in their class do – and there’s a chance they won’t achieve that at United.
A season spent in the Europa League at this stage of their careers would be a wasted campaign and neither will be willing to take that risk, especially when there are many other options open to them. Money talks, but these players are already wealthy and place trophy success high on their priorities.
Ole takes his lead from Sir Alex
There’s no doubting Solskjær is aiming to build a team for the future. He wants to invest heavily in youth and ambition, like the tactics employed by Sir Alex Ferguson during his Man Utd glory. Ole has more money at his disposal but he doesn’t have a luxury the Scotsman did and that’s time on his side. Not many managers are allowed the time to get things right and Ole may find himself out of a job before many of his buys reach their prime.
A similar tactic famously starved Arsene Wenger and Arsenal of success for many years. The emphasis is placed on the here and now. Fans want trophies and success today, rather than the chance of glory next season or maybe the year after. No one knows that more than Ole Gunnar Solskjær and his backroom staff.
