In the first week of last December, Antonio Conte and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer headed east, rallying their players for a D-Day in Europe. Conte spoke of glimpsing “a shaft of light” for his Internazionale team as they sought the victory they needed to progress from a wildly unpredictable Champions League group, away at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Manchester United’s manager, looking ahead to a decisive last group game at RB Leipzig, a must-win for Solskjaer’s team after a rollercoaster of a campaign, talked of seeing the team's “belief coming back”.
Both Conte and Solskjaer failed on their last-day missions, their clubs exiting Europe’s principal competition at the first stage. It was a damaging shortfall for two so-called ‘superclubs’, and prompted familiar criticisms of the respective coaches.
Solskjaer’s game-management was scrutinised, after Leipzig went 2-0 up after 13 minutes, and three ahead before United launched an inadequate, two-goal comeback. The habit of United falling behind before finding their gears had already become a feature of the Solskjaer era. Some of the comebacks had been rousingly successful, but when they weren’t it was costly.
In Italy, Conte heard the same critique that has lurked throughout his dazzlingly effective career as a coach in domestic leagues - the fact that he seldom matches those successes in Europe. In five attempts at the Champions League, with Inter, Chelsea and Juventus, he has suffered three group-stage exits.
Conte’s best European showing? Inter’s 2020 final in the Europa League, narrowly lost to Spain’s Sevilla. Solskjaer can mirror that precisely. His United went on from their dispiriting night in Leipzig to a Europa League final they lost only on sudden-death penalty shoot-out to Spain’s Villarreal.
Conte’s Inter meanwhile went out of the Champions League at Shakhtar and on to the Serie A title last May, their head coach promptly departing, dissatisfied with the resources available to him. Out of work, Conte now lurks as a tempting alternative to Solskjaer as United’s decision-makers procrastinate over whether repeated shortcomings, most visible in the 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool, mean a more experienced manager than Solskjaer is needed.
Manchester United 0-5 Liverpool ratings
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MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: David de Gea 4 - Conceded now in 13 consecutive home games for United – not that he could do much about the five which past him. A chocolate fireguard would have offered more protection. Good save from Alexander Arnold after 70. EPA -
Aaron Wan-Bissaka 3 - Left his man to try and retrieve the ball before Liverpool’s opener. Didn’t. And from there things got even worse. Booked – one of seven United players to get a card on a day of frustration. EPA -
Victor Lindelof 3 - Another in the wrong position for the opener for the most jittery start from United. Ball bounced off him before Liverpool’s third. Booed off at half time with the rest of his teammates by a support who otherwise sang until the end. No wonder several of the players apologised. EPA -
Harry Maguire 2 - Adrift as Liverpool cut United’s defence open from the start and tangled with Shaw for the second as Liverpool went 2-0 up after 13. Things got even worse and he’s having an awful time of it. Booked. Getty -
Luke Shaw 3 - Stranded for Liverpool’s opener. Shot wide from distance after 21, but, like the rest of the defenders, he was all over the place as a far superior Liverpool passed the ball around them. EPA -
Fred 3 - Lovely ball to Ronaldo after three minutes. And that was the highlight as his side were thrashed. Booked. Not even fair to compare him to someone as influential as Jordan Henderson today. Had little time on the ball against a side who never stopped hunting the ball down. EPA -
Scott McTominay 3 - Ran back to dispossess Salah after eight minutes. Does he really want to be reminded of anything after that as Liverpool completely dominated? Headed ball down to set up Cavani after 83. The game was so far gone, there was barely a reaction when the ball went in the net. EPA -
Bruno Fernandes 3 - Skied a third minute shot over. Wasted. Often frustrated, too often argumentative. Booked for this on an afternoon which became deeply embarrassing for the home team. AP -
Mason Greenwood 4 - Was up for it from the start, intercepting a Liverpool attack. Then they scored twice. Shot tested Alisson after 28, but what else can you say about a player on a side which was 4-0 down at half-time for the first time in 31 years? AP -
Marcus Rashford 3 - Lively start and got away from Kieta to shoot wide from 25 yards. But lost in the hideous muddle which developed and for which no words can make up. EPA -
Cristiano Ronaldo 3 - Another who skied a shot early on. Put the ball in the net after 53 with a superb shot, but it was offside. Booked. He’s hugely frustrated – and hugely influential. And that could be a blessing and a curse for United. AP -
SUBS: Paul Pogba 2 - On for Greenwood at HT. Dived in for a challenge with Keita on 58 and was sent off. He should have known far better. AP -
Edinson Cavani 3 - On for Fernandes after 61 as Liverpool fans sang ‘Ole’s at the wheel’ and ‘Ole give us a wave.’ It was that bad. A deflected shot hit the crossbar after 83. EPA -
Diogo Dalot 3 - On for Rashford after 61 as Liverpool fans chanted ‘Ole must stay’ while the speculation about United’s manager skyrocketed. AP -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker 8 - The Brazilian foiled Greenwood and Ronaldo in the first half and was a model of composure. He distributed the ball with his usual aplomb. Getty -
Trent Alexander-Arnold 8 - The 22-year-old was supposed to be the target for Ronaldo and Rashford but was comfortable throughout. He ranged forward at will and supplied the cross for Jota’s goal. Getty -
Ibrahima Konate 8 - The Frenchman got sucked into midfield and went to ground early on but he soon found his feet. He was excellent in the air and strong on the ground. EPA -
Virgil van Dijk 8 - The Dutchman was completely at ease. He oozed class. It is hard to believe that Maguire was a more expensive signing. EPA -
Andrew Robertson 8 - The Scot’s passing was a little inconsistent but he worked the line well. He made himself available as an outlet ball and got better as the game went on. Getty -
Jordan Henderson 8 - The captain was efficient in possession and adapted nicely to the defensive midfield role. His pass for Salah’s hat-trick was splendid. Getty -
James Milner 7 - The 35-year-old limped off injured after 27 minutes but his workrate and appetite were illustrated when he was queuing at the back post behind Jota for a chance to score the second goal. Reuters -
Naby Keita 9 - This was the 26-year-old’s best game for the club. He scored, helped set up two goals and broke up United attacks. He was carried off in the 64th minute after a horrible challenge by Pogba. Getty -
Mohamed Salah 10 - The Egyptian’s pass for the opening goal was wonderful but what followed was exceptional. He tormented United and was rewarded with a hat-trick. AFP -
Roberto Firmino 8 - The Brazilian’s movement and intelligence bemused the defence. He helped create the fourth goal before being replaced by Mane in the 77th minute. EPA -
Diogo Jota 8 - The Portuguese caused havoc down the left. He scored the second goal and set up another for Salah. Getty -
SUBS: Curtis Jones 7 - The 20-year-old replaced Milner in the 27th minute and was given some rough treatment by Ronaldo and Fernandes but never let it affect his game. Getty -
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 7 - The 28-year-old joined the action in the 64th minute when Keita was injured. He was effective on and off the ball as Liverpool cruised towards the final whistle. AFP -
Sadio Mane 6 - The Senegalese was introduced for Firmino with 13 minutes left. He was desperate to score and was perhaps a little too greedy. Reuters
There is plenty to recommend Conte. His last job in the Premier League, at Chelsea, yielded a title in his first season. He wins domestic titles - five, spread across England and Italy - with every elite club he joins. He might even resolve the puzzle that is Paul Pogba. He was a helpful shepherd, at Juventus, to a young Pogba’ career at Juventus.
Above all, there is Conte’s rigour, his studious attention to system and positional discipline, and the perfectionist drive he displays so vividly on the touchline. “He obsesses over every last detail, and he’s allergic to mistakes,” remarked Andrea Pirlo, who worked under Conte at Juventus. “He’s not a guru or a magician, but when Conte speaks, his words blast through you, and settle deep within you.”
Conte is understood to be interested in the United job, even prepared to break his usual practice of only joining clubs between seasons if Solskjaer’s position becomes vacant after the next two or three matches, beginning with United’s trips to Tottenham Hotspur and Atalanta.
Defeat in the second of those could point United towards a similarly nervous finish to a competitive Champions League group as last season. United’s executives would pause to wonder at whether Conte is the best man to set about a European rescue.
They would certainly pause before imagining he is a long-term guarantor of a transition to the pre-eminent, consistently successful United of 20 years ago. Conte does not linger in his jobs. At Juventus, he left after three seasons and three successive titles. At Chelsea, he became frustrated and his employers exasperated with his demands after two years. After two seasons with Inter, the combination of a sudden financial crisis and Conte’s budget expectations made a departure inevitable.
He left Inter knowing that his glittering CV in domestic football put him at the front of the queue for the next superclub seeking a new head coach. He also knows that nobody will take him on blind. This time three years ago, the last time Conte was seeking work in mid-season, he was close to joining Real Madrid. Resistance from within the dressing-room played a part in Madrid not hiring Conte.
In a thinly-veiled reference to Conte’s reputation, the then Madrid captain Sergio Ramos spoke of “respect being earned, not imposed”. Ramos had clashed with Jose Mourinho at Madrid, and was not ready to welcome another combative martinet as manager.
Conte will not like it, but the idea he is too like Mourinho clouds some at United’s perception of him too.
