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Football may be the beautiful game but it is also a very unfair sport. No matter the number of horrendous mistakes made by the management or the players, the coach always takes the blame for lack of results.
Jose Mourinho has been made to bear the entire blame for United's disappointing season and the Portuguese boss has paid with his job.
After much speculation, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been officially appointed as the interim coach of Manchester United. The Norwegian comes in with much PL playing experience having played for Manchester United for 11 years.
However, his only PL coaching experience is an ill-fated spell with Cardiff City. He returned back to Norway to take charge of his former club Molde.
Much has been made about what to expect from the ex-striker as the coach of one of world football's biggest clubs. In an interview as Cardiff boss he gives an inkling;
"My brand is forward minded. Forward passing, forward running. I want to attack. I want the players to express themselves."
If his assertions at Cardiff city are true then it bodes well for some of United's players. Here's a look at three key players who will benefit from Solskjaer's appointment.
#1 Paul Pogba
Pogba's season has probably not gone as well as he expected after winning the world cup with France in the summer.
He started the season as the captain of United and scored the opening goal of the PL season. The armband was later taken away him by Jose Mourinho and he eventually fell out with the boss. In Jose's last three PL matches as United boss, Pogba only played 15 minutes and did not even come off the bench against Fulham and Liverpool.
The sacking of Mourinho and appointment of Solskjaer will definitely breathe a new lease of life to Pogba's season. He will get a clean slate under the new manager and will hope to stand up and be counted for the new man in this hectic fixture schedule.
If Solskjaer keeps to the philosophy he spoke about at Cardiff then it gets even better for the French international. Pogba in the interview after United's draw with Wolves earlier in the season aimed a slight dig at Mourinho's tactics and declared that:
"When we're at home we should attack, attack, attack. That's Old Trafford. We're here to attack."
In Paul Pogba, Solskjaer has one of the most gifted central midfielders in the attack. If both player and coach share the same ideology and Solskjaer returns to the vibrant attacking football that United played in previous years, then Manchester United and Pogba will be better for it.
#2 Alexis Sanchez
Alexis Sanchez has had a horrendous first year at Manchester United. The ex-Barcelona and Arsenal man has suddenly gone from being the best player at Arsenal to not even making the matchday squad in some matches this season.
The arrival of a new manager gives a new slate to players already at the club, There is no player at Manchester United that needs the fresh start more than Sanchez.
The Manchester United number seven has struggled for form and fitness all season. The poor form of some of his other teammates has not also helped his adaptation on the pitch.
Mourinho's pragmatic and sometimes negative approach contributed to the poor form of Sanchez and other teammates. A change to a more attacking brand of football will benefit Alexis as more opportunities will come for him to score and gain confidence.
Solskjaer was a striker at Manchester United for 11 years scoring 126 goals in 366 appearances. He understands more than anybody the pressure that a big player at the Old Trafford club is under. This know-how will be important in properly guiding the Chilean talisman and giving him much needed confidence for the rest of the season.
#3 Romelu Lukaku
Lethal, Clinical, Efficient. These three are the words that come to mind when describing Solskjaer as a player. He scored the goal that won Manchester United the Champions League in 1999 final against Barcelona.
Solskjaer's intelligence and finishing made him a favourite super sub for Sir Alex Ferguson. His record of a goal every 153 PL minutes is not to be scoffed at and is exactly the reason why he is the perfect coach for Lukaku.
Lukaku's hold up play and first touch is notoriously poor and the new coach can work on all that and improve them. However, Solksjaer's appointment and coaching will drastically improve his finishing.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also understands the amount of pressure United players, especially strikers, are under. He will find a way of reducing the pressure on his star striker and Lukaku will be better for it.
It may only be on an interim basis but the arrival of a club icon in Solskjaer may just be what United need to reignite their season. With key players benefitting from his appointment, who knows if Solskjaer turns out to be the man to take United to an unprecedented period of success.
