Consistently Inconsistent United

 Mr Jekyll, Dr Hyde that is what Manchester United has been since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. It has lasted three permanent managers and one caretaker one. No-one has successfully changed this mental problem in the team. We went from potential European champions in midweek to relegation contenders by the weekend. From a splendid blistering, tactical performance in Europe, we produced an insipid, damp squib against Arsenal. Arsenal beat us deservingly 1-0 to win at Old Trafford for the first time in 14 years.

Solksjaer’s Poor Record Against Arsenal

Since Ole Gunnar Solksjaer was hired permanently as a Manchester United manager, Arsenal has been the only other big team we have not beaten. The other team would be the current league champions, Liverpool. What frustrates about this poor record is that in all the matches he has faced Arsenal, they have been beatable. They have been poor but yet we struggle to beat them.

Wrong Tactics

Solksjaer rotated a bit with his team selection but stuck with the same formation that served us so well against RB Leipzig in midweek. As the match wore on, you felt it was not the right tactic to take on Arsenal. I felt it was careless to stick with the same formation against Leipzig thinking it would work against Arsenal. Throughout the game, our play lacked width as we congested our play centrally.

Poor Performance

From the tactics, we move on to the performance on the pitch. Defensively, we kept a tight ship. Arsenal was sharper in their passing and pressing than we were but we dealt with whatever they could offer. It’s a fact that they hardly tested David De Gea in goal. Whatever chances they could create, they couldn’t hit the target. But it’s also a fact that they had the better chances. We had the best attempt in the first half though with Mason Greenwood’s shot saved by Bernd Leno. Fred and Scott McTominay produced their usual industrious performance but our passing left a lot to be desired. We were slow to the ball and didn’t press hard enough. Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba had little impact going forward. Greenwood and Marcus Rashford were out-muscled by Arsenal’s defenders namely Gabriel. We were more aggressive in the second half but I felt a change in tactics at half-time or early in the second half would have helped us change the complexion of the match.

Wrong Timing For Substitutions

The replacement of Fred for Nemanja Matic I felt was right as Fred was giving the ball away and was in danger of getting caught in possession in our half. I don’t feel he is suited to play at the anchor of the midfield as he can be erroneous in possession. It looked like Paul Pogba was tiring and he should have been brought off before he conceded a clumsy penalty. Sacrificing McTominay for a centre forward like Edison Cavani would have changed the formation to a more attacking one. In the end, Donny van de Beek and Cavani were brought on with 20 minutes left after we conceded a goal and had little impact as we struggled to create a chance to equalise.

Inconsistent United

The only constant about United is its inconsistency. When the chips are down and the team is roundly criticised, that is when they will produce a very good performance and win. When they are the favourites, they would likely slip up. It’s always one step forward, two steps back. Solksjaer is also contradicting himself. One match, he gets his tactics spot on and the next match, he gets it all wrong. One match he gets his substitutions right and the next one he doesn’t read the game well enough to make the right ones soon enough. The players and himself are to be blamed as well for not getting the intensity and performances right consistently. It’s two big matches in the league in a row now that we have failed to turn up as an attacking force after faultless midweek performances. Add to that the humiliation of getting hammered by Tottenham in the other league match against a top opponent this season. We can’t keep going on like this because this problem is beyond the club’s rotten structure.