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The pressure is mounting on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and he knows it. After an underwhelming start to the season, Manchester United’s form in the UEFA Champions League is the only thing keeping him in the job.
The Red Devils have already lost three games this season, including a humiliating 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.
Even worse, Manchester United is yet to win a home game this season in the Premier League, and last week’s loss to Arsenal marked the first time in 14 years that the Gunners beat the Reds away from home.
The silver lining, though, has been the club’s imperious form in the Champions League, where they’ve gone from potential Europa League candidates to favourites to win Group H.
Manchester United have been impressive in Europe
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side surprisingly beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 at the Parc des Princes in their opening group game, before thumping the highly-rated RB Leipzig 5-0 in their next European fixture.
With a double-header against Istanbul Basaksehir coming up, Manchester United could secure a place in the round of 16 should they win both encounters.
The Red Devils will travel to Turkey on Wednesday to take on the Superlig side with the world’s lenses on their manager. For all his time at Old Trafford, not everyone believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is best suited to manage the club.
He’s done fairly well after 100 games, but the team’s inconsistency is something that has put him under pressure. The Norwegian is fast approaching two years in the dugout, but he’s yet to get the team playing in an identifiable style.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer under the microscope
While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been spoilt for choice in recent weeks, his team selections have still been suspect.
“Well we work every day for our fans to have something to celebrate. The process we are going through, we are focused and hopefully tomorrow night we can stamp our authority on the group,” Solskjaer said ahead of the game against Istanbul Basaksehir, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News.
“It is always positive to have options, we have a style we want to play. Sometimes on paper it looks 4-4-2, 4-3-3. The principles are still there, for us when we start with three at the back it is the same as when we have four at the back,” he added.
The Manchester United boss faces a crucial week which could decide his immediate future, starting with the Champions League game against Istanbul Basaksehir.
Should Ole Gunnar Solskjaer pass this test, he will still need to prove that he’s capable of overturning the club’s poor form in the Premier League when they travel to Everton on Saturday.
Any result that falls below expectations could see him getting sacked earlier than anyone envisaged.
