Manchester United drew 1-1 for the fourth time in nine games this season, and for the eighth time in those nine games, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side failed to score more than one goal.
United are 10th in the Premier League table, with a third of the goals total of Manchester City. The 20-time champions of England didn’t have a single shot until the 29th minute from Andreas Pereira – it was the longest wait for an attempt on goal in a league game all season.
And it all came on a filthy, wet, Mancunian evening, when the rain had been so heavy that the windows of the buses and trams to the stadium steamed up.
Although there were positives for both United and Arsenal - as Scott McTominay opened the scoring with a superb strike which grazed the underside of the crossbar and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalised after a horrendous defensive lapse for the home side - these are not good times for Manchester United.
Post-match debates revolved around VAR, the decline of both clubs and inevitable comparisons with the glories of yore. That United are a pale imitation of their predecessors right now is nothing new. Since Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013, they have failed on the pitch while Ed Woodward has been the top man, yet they thrive commercially off it.
It’s a strange time to be a United fan, just as it was back in 1989 when Ferguson struggled to find his feet or get out of double points after seven league games. Yet Old Trafford remains full, in marked contrast to plummeting attendances in the 1980s.
There is genuine support for Solskjaer, too, 10 months into one of the most challenging jobs in football. The club is adamant they will stick with him and see this through, but while it’s not pretty, both he and his team were applauded off the field, with fans singing his name. The assessments on social media are even more withering than those of Roy Keane in the television studio, with knee-jerk reactions and apoplexy aplenty.
Some United fans were outraged when the team dropped any points on the way to winning a league title in 2013, so it’s unsurprising that there is now meltdown with every poor performance.
There is no escaping the reality that United are miles behind Liverpool and Manchester City and have been for a while, but the same holds for other big clubs.
Yet, while it’s not always obvious, Solskjaer does have a plan. He let the players who didn’t want to be at the club leave. His own signings so far look like the right ones.
He has disciplined players for any unprofessional antics on social media because he wants them to act like United players at all times. A few more replacements would have helped. Without them he has to play younger players, who are as inconsistent as they can be exciting.
What is not in doubt is that Solskjaer loves United. He has moved his family to Manchester when they were perfectly happy in Norway. He is working harder than anyone because he has lived United as a player and a coach – with success – and he knows how hard he has to work.
Solskjaer’s views don’t always chime with fans, but they don’t need to. He genuinely thinks that United have played well in six of their seven league games. His assessment is not just PR to gloss over the team’s shortcomings. That is something of a stretch, but it is true they have played well in parts of those games. They just don’t have the firepower to finish teams off, or the creative players to open teams up.
“[Against West Ham] was another game when we were 1-0 up, we were 1-0 up at Southampton, at Wolverhampton,” he said, before stating the obvious: “We need to win these games.”
But he is anxious to underline the progress the team is making.
“Six young boys from our academy, plus Mason [Greenwood], that’s a big plus for us. We know that this time is going to be improving and we saw some excellent performances. Scotty [McTominay], Andreas [Pereira] and we can see that Axel [Tuanzebe] is going to be a top player so I saw some very positive things.”
If Solskjaer isn’t positive about a bad situation then who can be? He knows United are way off where they need to be. Despite the calm exterior, those who know him well say he’s “burning on the inside” to get the job done and to see it through.
Although his (now noticeably more subdued than at the start of the season) perkiness may make some fans grind their teeth in frustration, what’s the alternative? Another manager who wants to bring his own players in? More players who only want to come for the money?
Needs must. United need goals, need luck. Marcus Rashford has one goal from open play in 18 games. Jesse Lingard hasn’t scored in 21 games. Paul Pogba hasn’t scored from open play in 25 matches. Pereira doesn’t score enough.
But Solskjaer believes the goals will come with hard work and creating the right spirit and the defence, already creditably stingy, will continue to settle so that United can begin the long slog back towards the top.
