The Last Gdansk: The night which signaled the eventual collapse of Solskjaer’s turbulent reign as the Manchester United Manager

The long drawn-out separation between manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United was finally made official on Sunday morning.

But before the drama unfolded, the whole world of football witnessed a rare sighting on Saturday night. No, it wasn’t an other-worldly terrestrial object spotted during a match. Nor was it Lionel Messi’s elusive first goal in the ever-competitive Ligue 1 after drawing five blanks.

Rather, it was the sight of two of the most boisterous and rambunctious sets of opposition fans who had united for one common cause.

The setting was a magnificent Anfield glimmering under lights. Loud, bustling and packed into rafters. You can already paint an image in your head. But what was the cause? You’d presume it would be a protest against the vile and symbiote-like presence of racism in football. No.

The stirring cause that (Manchester) United, the Anfield faithful and traveling Gooners was the future of their unheralded Norwegian hero, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. There are very few things that a Kopite and a Gooner would have in common. But the shared despisal of all things Manchester United is the biggest one for sure.

For someone who has just dipped his toes into the world of football, it would be inexplicable if the fans of United’s two biggest rivals were singing their manager’s name. But such has been the circus show that has unraveled at Old Trafford. Renditions of ‘Ole’s at the wheel" have been mercilessly belted out by rival fans at Elland Road, Anfield, Emirates and finally at the vivacious Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon.

A Forgettable Saturday for Solskjaer

Solskjaer waves at United fans after what turned out to be his last game in-charge

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had admirably held his own in the pre-match press conference. He seemed to have had referred to the "I am confident that the "lads" had worked on a lot of things on the training ground and there will be a turnaround" chapter of the laughable Manchester United PR manual.

He had survived the Everton humbling when he was just handed the permanent role. The Burnley surrender before Fernandes arrived. The 6-1 drubbing by his predecessor’s team and a humiliating and ill-fated UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of RB Leipzig. He had been in such dire straits before. Or he felt he had been. This time it was different. It was as clear as day to everyone that the players had checked out.

Even if they liked Solskjaer because he was a ‘nice’ guy, they knew that the time for change was ripe. A limp surrender ensued at Vicarage Road, with United facing 20 shots on target and recording only nine of their own. The only people who wouldn’t have seen this result coming were Solskjaer, his questionable backroom staff and the incompetent decision makers at Manchester United. He knew that there wasn’t any turning around this time.

Solskjaer's points per match (PPM) tally for the 2021-22 season stood at 1.41. To put this into context, the corresponding figure for Mourinho as United manager was 1.96. LVG had raked in 1.81 PPM during his reign and Moyes was able to achieve a PPM of 1.73 during the troubled 2013-14 season (Source : Transfermarkt) .The warning signs were already there.

The 20-time champions of England, who finished as runners-up last season and arguably had a stellar transfer window, have collected just four points from the last 21 available. Championship winning form? Who are we kidding? Top-four form? Surely not. Mid Table form? Maybe. Relegation form? Bingo.

Norwich City (who sacked Farke) have a better tally in their last seven matches than Manchester United. Let that statement sink in. Yet before the Watford debacle, the United board were still behind Solskjaer and his friendly bunch of rag-tags. This doesn’t even begin to describe the incompetency that seeps from top to bottom and has engulfed the club since Sir Alex Ferguson left. It would be criminal to lay the blame solely on Solskjaer.

He was only the face of this well-oiled commercial business that is Manchester United. Not a football club, a business. There are various cogs who have been malfunctioning for a long time and Solskjaer has turned out to be the sacrificial lamb.

That Night in Gdansk - Solskjaer caught out?

David De Gea missed the decisive spot kick as United were defeated 11-10 on penalties by Emery's Villarreal in the Europa League Final

But when did it start unraveling for Solskjaer?

Cast your mind back to the night of 26th May, 2021. United faced Villarreal in the Europa League final at the gorgeous Gdansk Stadium in Poland. It had been an unprecedented Covid-affected season, encompassing more lows and highs than seen on a normal day in the stock market. But the bottom line was that United had reached their first ever cup final under Solskjaer's reign after ceaseless semi-final departures.

The stage was set for United’s enviable set of playing personnel to seize the initiative and end their mini trophy drought. This could perhaps serve as a catapult to a successful era laden with trophies. An era the United faithful have been craving since the departure of their messiah in 2013. The fact that it would be one of their club heroes who’d revive the club’s fortunes seemed like destiny.

United fans were already dreaming, thinking of the chickens even before they had hatched. What followed was nothing short of a nightmare. Solskjaer’s men had come up against Emery’s immovable and admirable Yellow Submarine. Villarreal players were dogged, driven and determined not to let destiny do the talking.

Despite having 60% posssession of the ball on the night, United never seemed like unlocking the stubborn and well-drilled Villarreal defense. They seemed slow, lacking in creativity and too predictable. Emery's game plan was being executed to the tee.

After extra time and what seemed like a never-ending penalty shootout, the Europa League trophy was decorated with yellow ribbons. The men in yellow were knee-sliding all over the pitch, delirious and unable to process the joy. After all, they had caused a major upset.

Their counterparts, on the other hand, were left to lick their wounds and wipe their tears. United’s performance on the night summarized Solskjaer's three-year reign and what it has so severely lacked. Vision, mentality and aggression.

Solskjaer's managerial Reign Breakdown

Manchester United have only picked up 4 points from the last 7 matches in the English Premier League

Even Solskjaer’s fiercest defenders would have admitted that there was no discernible playing style that the manager had instilled in the club. A club which is known for its rich history of fearless and attacking football. Football clubs are built on heritage. You know how a Barcelona, Liverpool, Arsenal and now even a Manchester City side would play. They have a clear approach to football.

What has United’s approach been like over the past eight years? Defensive? Counter-attacking? Possession? Pressing? It is a damning indictment of the lack of vision that has percolated from the top about how the team should play. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer isn’t an elite coach by any stretch of imagination. But he could have surrounded himself with competent coaches and looked after man management.

Instead, he chose to run a rendition of “Friends: Reunited”. The work experience of the backroom staff, namely Kieran Mckenna, Michael Carrick, Mike Phelan and Co. could be called insufficient at the very least. This is Manchester United we are talking about. How the decision makers and the manager could have afforded to have coaches who were basically learning on the job is beyond belief.

The phrase "winning mentality" is often used in football yet is so underrated. United's players have repeatedly buckled under critical situations in the recent past. It felt as if the phrase "So near yet so far" had been coined exclusively for them. The Europa league final was an opportunity to set things straight. But when it mattered the most, United players collapsed like weak wooden houses in the face of a burgeoning earthquake.

All of them aimlessly looked at each other, hoping for a protagonist who would take the game by the scruff of the neck. But there wasn’t any forthcoming. Winning is a habit and unfortunately United didn’t have any serial winners to guide them through the rough tide.

Can you imagine a Roy Keane, Bryan Robson or Wayne Rooney allowing something like this to happen? The lack of ruthlessness and drive to go out there and win was there for everyone to witness.

Ask any former player, pundit or former manager to describe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and they would say that he’s a nice guy. Yet we know what they say about where nice guys finish. When Solskjaer came in to replace the acerbic Mourinho, his first job was to improve the toxic dressing room atmosphere.

His amicable approach would have seemed like a breath of fresh air for the players after the dire final few months of Mourinho’s reign. Cue the initial bounce in form that he enjoyed en route to bagging a permanent role. But once he had settled into the role, what was next?

There’s certainly a thing called too much niceness in football management. Modern football players can tend to be wayward and derelict to say the least. In situations such as these, an Iron first is a must even if it means upsetting a few apples in the cart. But would Solskjaer have done that? You’d guess not.

By his own admission, Solskjaer wasn’t the kind of manager who would deliver a hairdryer to players he thought were flagging. Enough said.

One aspect that wasn’t missing in Solskjaer’s reign was favoritism. Favoritism towards certain players even in the face of damning and opposing evidence. The inclination towards picking the infamous duo of McFred, the Maguire-Lindelof partnership and the unwavering selection of Aaron Wan-Bissaka. This is something that will come to define his reign.

Solskjaer nailed his flag to the mast pretty early by always picking certain players. But this mast wavered and eventually crumpled in the winds of uncertainty that United encountered in this rocky season.

United's defense has looked like a cat on a hot tin roof since the start of the season, conceding 21 goals in 12 games. To put this into context, they have never conceded more at this stage in any English Premier League season.

Then there’s Donny Van De Beek. He has only played a miserly 60 minutes in the current Premier League campaign. Daniel James clocked up 128 minutes for the Red Devils before departing for Leeds United in August. This is more than the game time Van De Beek and Jesse Lingard have gotten in the 2021-22 season.

There was a tinge of poetic justice to the fact that the Dutchman was the one who flew and scored the last goal of Solskjaer’s reign. But the ship had already sunken by then. What this talented midfielder has been subjected to over the past 18 months has been nothing short of daylight robbery of a very promising career.

Van De Beek, Alex Telles, Axel Tuanzebe, Eric Bailly, Diogo Dalot, Lingard, Juan Mata, Amad Diallo, Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial. This is a laundry list of players who have all at some point over the past two years been led down a garden path in terms of game time promises. All this while Solskjaer remained unwavered and stuck to his favorites.

There’s a strong possibility that all of the aforementioned players could look for pastures anew in the coming summer. The incoming manager faces an uphill battle to steady this unsettled ship.

What's Next for United?

Solskjaer, after scoring the historic treble winner in 1999

Things haven’t been the same for Manchester United since that soul-sucking and insipid defeat at the hands of Villarreal. After the last spot-kick, the United players fell to their knees, dejected and maybe it was a foreboding sign of what was to come this season. The players have looked short of belief, conviction and effort. Their orchestrator, likewise.

Manchester United have the third worst clean sheet and defensive record this season. In addition to this, they rank last when it comes to tackles per game and errors leading to shots. Going into the Watford game, United ranked 11th in the expected points table (based on the XG philosophy). Clearly something has been amiss.

Sans the opening day performance against Leeds, they have looked stroppy and error-stricken in all the matches they have played across competitions. The unprecedented hysteria and euphoria created by the signing of a certain Portuguese phenomenon during the summer seems like a distant event.

The hopes and expectations that the stellar transfer window had conjured among fans have now pretty much evaporated. All that remains is the familiar feeling of despair, dread and helplessness.

Yet again, it is time to hit the restart button. Yet again, it is time to depend on the ailing judgment of the board. For now, another former player in the form of Michael Carrick will take the helm at Old Trafford until an Interim (a world United fan must have nightmares about) manager can be found. The coaching staff, just as culpable as Solskjaer, will remain intact for now.

Farewell Ole, thank you for all the moments of happiness and sorry that it did not work out.

“And Solskjaer has won it!” will remain a treasured and invaluable memory for all Manchester United fans. Unfortunately, by the end of Solskjaer's troubled managerial reign, the baby-faced assassin had completely lost his midas touch.