Solksjaer's sacking and the problems within

 

Ole Gunnar Solksjaer claps and seeks forgiveness after the horrendous outing at Watford on Saturday. He was sacked on Sunday. (Photo credit: The Athletic)

It’s no longer news that Manchester United have fired their manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer with Michael Carrick trusted with the job on the interim, the sack came in the wake of yet another uninspiring performance away from home at the Vicarage Road Stadium on Saturday.

Watford shouldn’t be beating United regardless of where it’s played, the gulf in class and pedigree won’t let a heavy loss make sense no matter how you look at it, no disrespect to the tinker man Claudio Ranieri and his team, anything short of a win is unacceptable for a club of United’s stature.

However, the timing of the sacking leaves lots of questions unanswered. At what point did United realize Solksjaer wasn’t good enough? And at what point did they realize they need to relieve him of his job to allow someone else take charge?

United start a period from the day they fired Solksjaer in which they play eleven games over 40 days and they’re pinning their hopes on the interim on Carrick that was a part of the Norwegian’s backroom staff? Haven’t we seen this before?

Solksjaer was hired on the interim while they hoped to sign a permanent manager after sacking Jose Mourinho about three years ago, Solksjaer got on to a fine start and led the team’s resurgence, they handed him the job on a permanent basis and the rest is history, de javu with Carrick?

The fact the club can’t name a proven successor on the immediate shows a lack of proper planning, few names are being thrown about in the media but we can confirm none of them had been contacted at the time of filing this, so what is the plan?

Manchester United is not a small club that runs on “vibes and insha Allah”, it is a club with a rich history and a cultured tradition, why then is the club being handled like a college side with tons of uncertainties to the dismay of the passionate fans?

From the players to the management, everyone must hold their hands up and accept responsibilities for what has happened, and for all its worth, a certain level of blame must go to Sir Alex Ferguson for his role in the state of things as a staunch supporter of Solksjaer.

Harry Maguire should never even be a Manchester United player let alone the skipper, his personality doesn’t ooze confidence, his mindless tackle that earned him a red card last time out leaves too much to be desired, that’s United’s captain.

Villareal is up next in the champions league and it’s a must win, for confidence and huge statement after the embarrassment at Vicarage Road; picking up from where they stopped last weekend requires a mental shift and a very strong showing, they have the quality only that they hardly show it.

Cristiano Ronaldo has really tried to bail out the manager on several occasions, whether he’s the man they need at this point is a different topic altogether, but his place in the club is now as vital as ever as one of the oldest names and most influential to guide the young ones.

Who are the players to depend on right now? It’s time to look to the future and see what it promises. Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood must rise to the big stage and drive the club back to prominence, the likes of Young Boys and Watford shouldn’t be so confident when playing United.

From the ashes of the Vicarage tragedy, United must rise and not repeat same mistakes they made last time out, Carrick should never be considered as a permanent manager regardless of whatever results he gets while being an interim manager, they’ve been there before, never again.

Chelsea is next in the league and it’s a big test, a loss and they would be further off the title race which was the target at the start of the season, they’re no longer in the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup would be as competitive as ever, where does confidence come from for the embattled Red Devils?