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Kenny Archer: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was so short of what Manchester United required

Kenny Archer

Kenny Archer

Kenny is the deputy sports editor and a Liverpool FC fan.

Manchester United's future and past? Mauricio Pochettino (left) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Manchester United's future and past? Mauricio Pochettino (left) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Manchester United's future and past? Mauricio Pochettino (left) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

THE 48-year-old scored the winning goal after coming on as a substitute in an incredibly dramatic Champions League Final. He's known for being one of the nicest men in football. He had managerial experience in his home country.

Yet do you really think Liverpool would have appointed Vladimir Smicer as their boss?

In years to come people will look back on the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era as one of those moments of mass delusion, affecting both club officials and supporters.

Appointing the affable Norwegian as caretaker manager at Manchester United after the departure of the spiky Jose Mourinho three years ago made a lot of sense, and did a lot of good in the short-term.

Solskjaer brought smiles back to a downtrodden dressing room, got the team scoring plenty of goals and winning matches, lifted the gloom that the Portuguese prima donna had spread around Old Trafford.

However, the summer of 2019 should have been the moment to appoint a permanent manager worthy of a club of the stature of Manchester United.

Funnily enough they might soon be about to put in place the man they should have snapped up then - Mauricio Pochettino.

Sure, the Argentinian had just led Spurs to the Champions League Final but, to paraphrase the legendary Alex Ferguson - 'It's Manchester United, lads'. Pochettino would have gone to Old Trafford if the club's hierarchy had approached him then.

'Poch' was certainly available when Spurs somewhat surprisingly sacked him in November 2019.

Instead, there's been two-and-a-half wasted years for the Red Devils.

Don't give me any of your guff about 'Second place last season' and 'Europa League Final'. United were runners-up to city rivals City with a total of 74 points, in a season when Liverpool were derailed by central defensive injuries and Chelsea ended their own experiment with an out-of-his-depth former playing hero.

As for the Europa League, Man U were only in it because they failed to progress from a Champions League which included RB Leipzig and first-time Turkish champions Istanbul Basaksehir.

Sure, their Europa victims then included Real Sociedad, AC Milan, and Roma, but that competition is significantly weaker than the Uefa Cup was.

Besides, Mourinho actually won the Europa League and also finished second, with 81 points.

Never forget either the huge transfer funds which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was allowed to spend, around £400m on top of the players who were already at Old Trafford but had been under-performing under Mourinho.

The CIES Football Observatory calculated that Manchester United have spent the second largest amount to assemble their squad, totalling E1023m (or E866m without add-ons). Only City have lashed out more, E1080m (E1017m) - and City's has undoubtedly been well-spent.

For comparison, Chelsea's figures are E780m (E736m), Liverpool's E672m (E596m).

OGS has overseen some good additions, sure, but also some dubious departures, chief among them Romelu Lukaku and Ander Herrera.

Yes, the former brought in almost £67m from his transfer to Inter Milan, but I've always rated him as a centre-forward and he's only 28; Chelsea obviously agree, paying close to £100m for him in the summer. Herrera, a combative, versatile central midfielder - does that sound like someone Manchester United could do with? - was allowed to leave for PSG on a free.

There was a lot of bluff and bluster - BS, really - spun out in his defence, not just by his literal friends in the media but by supporters.

The truth was that Ole as Manchester United manager was rather like the rich kid who couldn't actually play very well. His devoted parents provided him with all the best, most expensive gear: full kit, in all versions; top of the range boots; shin-pads that would stop a tank.

Yet as a manager he had the touch of an elephant and the tactical know-how of a brontosaurus.

The talk was always about signings, more signings, another piece of the puzzle - never about coaching and improving the expensive, highly-paid players already there, or putting in place a coherent, consistent system of playing.

While on the subject of money, don't feel too much sympathy for Ole; this may seem akin to kicking a man when he's down, but he's certainly not down-and-out. Apparently he was paid more than £26m for his time at Old Trafford – I won't say 'earned'.

If Ole truly loved Manchester United as much as he says he'd have walked long ago. There's believing in yourself and then there's living in denial.

Ole was a company man, a 'yes' man, to those above him and those supposedly playing for him.

Sure, players have to take responsibility, but the fish rots from the head. Being pally with the players helped at first, but Ole needed to crack the whip.

Put bluntly, too many Manchester United players are lazy, not just Cristiano Ronaldo. The lack of work-rate from their midfielders and attackers is shocking.

Ole should have called them out on that, but instead he was a passive presence on the side-lines. Compare and contrast him in that respect with Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, or Thomas Tuchel.

Liverpool and Manchester City's playing style is obvious, set by their respective managers. City's penchant for 'Latin' managers - from Italy, Chile, and now Spain - has extended to almost 12 years.

Chelsea may change bosses the way some people lease cars, with Tuchel the 11th permanent manager of the Roman Abramovich era, but almost all of them stamp their own identity on the team. If they don't impose a clear pattern of play they get the road, even more quickly than those who do.

With those three clubs under such top class management, top level success is no longer inevitable at Old Trafford.

It would be more madness from the Red Devils' decision-makers if they follow through with their stated intention to appoint an interim boss. No one with any sense or self-respect would go for a job if they knew that the appointment was actually pre-ordained for someone else within six months.

However, at least Pochettino – who might be in place by the time this is printed - or Erik ten Hag from Ajax would be promising choices – and Manchester United would have someone at the wheel with a clear sense of direction.

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The return of the Mc…Kenna Cup.

More matches. A lower training to games ratio.

What more needs to be said?

Hurrah!