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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had a wonderful start to his life as the Manchester United manager, winning 14 of his first 18 games in charge, which included an incredible turnaround against Paris Saint Germain in the UEFA Champions League.
But ever since then, the wheels seem to have fallen off for the Norwegian and the Red Devils have lost 7 of their last 10 games in all competition. The recent slump in form has taken a toll on their chances of finishing inside the top 4 as they find themselves 3 points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with 2 games left to play in this season's Premier League.
So, we decided to ananalyzeanchester United's recent slump in form and picked 3 reasons behind the Red Devils' recent struggles:
#3 Poor fitness levels
When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer arrived as the interim manager of Manchester United back in December, he vowed to bring back the fast, attacking football the Red Devils were renowned for under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Red Devils were just delightful to watch in his first few games in-charge, playing some brilliant football and scoring loads of goals. But that phase has faded now and Manchester United look exactly the same as they were during the final months of Jose Mourinho's reign.
The reason for this drastic turn of form is down to the fitness of the Manchester United players. They do not seem fit enough to maintain Solskjaer's high-intensity style of play, and the last 2 games have been a perfect example of it.
The Red Devils played with great intensity and tenacity in the first half against both Manchester City and Chelsea but failed to maintain the same energy in the second half in both games. They have conceded 15 goals in the second half as compared to 7 in the first half under Solskjaer, which shows that they struggle to maintain the same intensity during the tail-end of the game.
If Solskjaer wants to deploy his high-intensity style of play at Manchester United next season, he would need to improve the fitness of these players and get them back in shape during the pre-season.
#2 Injuries to key players in midfield
Injuries to Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic in midfield is one of the key reasons for Manchester United's recent slump. During their absence, the Red Devils struggled to play through the middle of the park and were forced to play long balls into the channels for the strikers to chase.
But when both Matic and Herrera were back in the starting 11 against Chelsea, the team looked a totally different side. They knocked the ball around the field with confidence and played some brilliant football, especially in the first half.
Ander Herrera is one of the most underrated players of this Manchester United squad. The Spaniard is calm on the ball and helps the Red Devils to play through the middle of the park. Herrera and Matic in midfield provide Paul Pogba with the license to play further forward, unleashing the best out of him.
The underlying stats show the importance of Ander Herrera to this Manchester United side:
#1 Lack of leadership
This recent slump in form has shown how badly Manchester United need a leader in the dressing room as well as on the pitch. The relatively young Manchester United squad look lost and deprived of confidence as soon as things start to go south, and need an experienced head who can regroup the squad and lead the team by example on the pitch.
Ashley Young is Manchester United's most experienced player and their current club captain but is not deemed worthy of the armband by the majority of the Red Devil supporters. The only person who seems worthy of the armband is David de Gea but has been struggling for form himself.
Paul Pogba is another candidate but is quite inconsistent with his performances on the pitch. If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants his team to start competing again for major honors, he needs to find the right person to lead this Manchester United side on the pitch.
