Manchester United Fans: Are you Ole In or Welcome Pochettino?

Manchester United are up against the Merseysiders on Saturday. With Ole’s job at stake, Mauricio Pochettino waiting in the offing, the fans have started calling the shots.

Six games, two wins, seven points, and in 15th place. This is not only the statistics of some mid-table team, but this is also the sad state of Manchester United. The team has failed to turn up in the English Premier League after finishing third in the previous season.

The Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup semifinalist lost against Champions League newbies, Istanbul Basaksehir. The defeat against the Turkish outfit has dented the pride of the Red Devils. The team was on a great unbeaten run on the road that came to a halt. Some blamed the manager whereas others blamed the lack of intent from the players.

With the defeat, the “OleOut” brigade has come out and started roaring. With Mauricio Pochettino available, few sections of the fanbase have asked for the sacking of OGS. Though the board has continued to keep their trust in the Norweigan, they might revisit their decision after the Everton game.

The reason behind the call

The reason behind the call is the poor start to the season. Manchester United are off to the joint-worst start since 1986/87. The manager has tried to integrate all of his star midfielders including Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek, which has caused problems for the team.

The absence of a proper starting XI has been a major issue and the team selection has been all over the place. Solskjaer has fielded a 3-5-2; 4-1-2-1-2; 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2, causing dilemma amongst the players.

Also, the other outcry from the fans is that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has no tactical awareness. The manager has been phenomenal against attacking teams with his counter-attack but against teams that sit deep, he has failed to prove himself.

His substitutions have been questionable at times. In a few games, the substitutions were done a bit too late and at a time they couldn’t alter results.

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Ole’s hanging on for dear life

Following the defeat against the Turks, reports have emerged regarding Mauricio Pochettino replacing the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss was sacked last November and is yet to take a job in any major league.

There have been reports that he rejected an approach from Barcelona in January when they sacked Valverde and before singing Ronald Koeman as manager. The former Southampton gaffer seems to be quite keen on managing Man United.

Fans claim that managers who have held the reigns at Old Trafford post-haven’t been backed well enough post-Ferguson. However, the club’s net spent has been close to £280 million over the course of five years (excluding the ongoing season). Despite these spendings, Manchester United’s best finish has been in the top two.

Though Pochettino hasn’t won anything with Tottenham Hotspur, he inherited a squad that were yet to find their feet in the league. Within the limited squad and net spending of £90 million over the course of four and a half years, he not only secured Champions League qualification in four consecutive seasons but also reached the Champions League finals in 2019 without making any signings.

His CV is good enough to fill the managerial position at Old Trafford. However, the club’s position is not something different from that of previous ones due to the ownership.

In Ole’s defense, the team staged a great 19-game unbeaten run. This stat should also be considered before sacking the gaffer if the result goes wrong on Saturday. The fans are fed up with trophyless campaigns and seeing their arch-rivals winning it is even more painful.

It doesn’t matter if it’s “OleOut” or “OleIn” until the real issue is sorted out. Exactly 34 seasons ago, Manchester United appointed Sir Alex Ferguson as their manager after the club endured the worst start in their history.

Despite the poor start to his managerial career, Sir Alex led the Red Devils to great heights. So can Mauricio Pochettino bring an end to the Red Devils title-drought if they do hire him?

(Or, should Manchester United go for Brendan Rodgers instead of the Argentine? Wait for the next article at The TopFlight)