Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in survival mode as he fights to keep his job as Manchester United manager but if he gets it wrong they could finish as low as seventh this season.
United are still reeling from a record-breaking 5-0 home defeat against Liverpool in what has been described as one of the worst performances in the club’s history.
Solskjaer has risen to the top of the Premier League’s sack race as a result of the disastrous showing that allowed Liverpool to rack up four first-half goals.
The Norwegian appears to be on the brink of departing Old Trafford for the first time since taking charge almost three years ago, with a list of problems racking up and the fixture list looking incredibly daunting.
The Red Devils face Tottenham live on talkSPORT on Saturday at 5:30pm, and have a huge opportunity to show the Liverpool result was just a blip before massive challenges against Manchester City and Chelsea.
And former Premier League star Darren Bent has singled out three problems that instantly need sorting if Solskjaer is to stand any chance of guiding his side out of their current mess.
“[Scott] McTominay and Fred I get that because people say ‘well I wouldn’t play them’ but you’ve got to play somebody,” Bent said of United’s midfield dilemma.
“Quite clearly [Paul] Pogba doesn’t want to play that role. When I look at Pogba in terms of when he plays that holding role, his best work is either when he’s coming off of the left, or when he’s driving forward when he’s got someone like a [N’Golo] Kante next to him.
“Pogba’s problem when he’s playing holding midfield is that he doesn’t sense danger.
“Now if you’re a holding midfield player, you’d always be looking at the positions on the pitch thinking ‘right if he loses the ball there, am I in a position to affect it’.
“It’s always like what happens next but when Pogba’s got the ball and he’s playing that holding role, when he’s going forward he’s not thinking about ‘well if I turn the ball over here, what’s going on behind me?’ because he just doesn’t want to play that role.”
Bent then moved onto the big talking point of summer signing Cristiano Ronaldo, who some argue doesn’t benefit United due to his lack of work rate, despite the number of goals he has already scored.
“I think for Ole, he’s got some big decisions to make,” Bent explained.
“If he wants to play this whole pressing game then he might have to bite it a little bit and go ‘you know what, Ronaldo has been good but [Edinson] Cavani in terms of energy, pressing, working hard from the front, is a far better option than Ronaldo, because whenever Cavani comes on, he runs around, he works.
“Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, if he wants to survive much longer in this role he’ll have to start making some big decisions and that includes leaving big players out.”
Pressing has become a huge part of modern football, but United clearly struggled for coordination when they attempt to make it work.
Solskjaer was questioned about the change in tactics following the 5-0 humiliation to which he said: “That’s a good question, we’re at home, we’re playing against Liverpool, and I think Man United we should always try at home to stamp our authority on the game.”
Bent discussed United’s lack of a plan when trying to win the ball back, comparing it to other top sides.
“When you look at Liverpool, Chelsea, City, when they press from the front you can see there’s real intent to get the ball back,” he said.
“When I’ve watched United, certainly the last few games, there’s individuals going to press just to appease the fans, they’ve got absolutely no chance of winning the ball just to show the fans ‘look I am trying’.
“That comes down to good coaching, the triggers, the way you attack, the way you defend, the way you press together, that all comes down to what happens on the training pitch, because you can’t just do it, it doesn’t work like that, not at that level.”
Bent was then questioned by co-host Ally McCoist where United may finish under their current manager if they don’t make changes, and quickly replied: “Seventh. If they keep Solskjaer the whole season, honestly, seventh.
“If they’re going to play the way they did against Liverpool and Atalanta, any of the top eight teams could beat them on any given day.“
Whatever Solskjaer’s reaction has been, we at least know Man United superstar Marcus Rashford wants to redeem himself.
He finally broke his social media silence and tweeted “I can’t lie you haven’t heard from me on here because as a United fan I didn’t really know what to say after Sunday.
“I was embarrassed. I am embarrassed. Our fans are everything and you didn’t deserve that. We’re working hard to try and fix this.
“We have to redeem ourselves.”