Manchester City compile Manchester United's misery after dominant derby display

Manchester United kickstarted the season with an emphatic 5-1 win over Leeds United but have now won just three of their last 10 matches in all competitions.

The interesting thing is that there are people who rightly predicted such a scenario to happen. Inconsistency has been the bane of the Red Devils under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and it has rather gotten worse this term.

There has never been a period where the team has looked so disjointed and disappointing at Old Trafford. These days any team can come into the Theatre of Dreams and walk away with three points.

This season alone, Aston Villa, West Ham United and Liverpool have all left Old Trafford with wins. Manchester City became the latest to do so after beating their neighbors 2-0 on Saturday.

Manchester United's misery continues

It has been one miserable week after another for Solskjaer and his side since the start of October. They now risk missing out on a place in the Premier League’s top four because of their poor displays.

Before the season started, the Reds were expected to challenge for the title, but they are now nine points off the top and sitting in fifth position.

Even worse is the fact that they don’t look like a team that can improve. Solskjaer and his backroom staff have so far failed to get the best out of this hugely talented squad.

Manchester United’s play depicts a side that lacks structure and is without a clear plan on the pitch. It’s like the players don’t even exercise any strategy in training and are only assembled on match days to go out there and do whatever they want.

All this has culminated in the team’s miserable run of form and that has only been compounded after yet another listless performance against Manchester City.

Red Devils now in crisis

When a team is going through such a poor run of form, the only way the manager gets to find a way out is when he has a record to fall back on.

Unfortunately for Solskjaer, he’s got none. Manchester United are now facing a crisis but do not have a manager with the experience and tactical know-how to pull them out of the situation.

"It's disappointing, of course. It's hard to talk at the moment," said Solskjaer after the defeat to Manchester City, as quoted by Manutd.com.

"We play against a good team, don't forget that, but we were nowhere near what our standards and levels can be and that’s something we have to get back to.

"We've got to go back to being on the front foot, be more aggressive, maybe circumstances have made us a little bit more cautious and passive."

The international break affords Manchester United some leeway after such a testing last few weeks, but it changes nothing.

As long as Solskjaer remains in charge, more such performances and results can be expected.