An offseason splurge of nearly $200 million has failed to address many of the nagging problems afflicting Manchester United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
It took 90 sobering minutes at Old Trafford this weekend to highlight that.
The 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace in the Premier League punctured much of the optimism generated by United’s season-opening 4-0 win over Chelsea that was hailed by some as the reawakening of England’s most prestigious club.
Now, many will be wondering where the creativity is in midfield, where the depth is in attack, and if United’s defense has actually tightened up following two expensive summer arrivals.
The central midfield appears to be the biggest problem, affecting United’s productivity at both ends of the field.
Solskjaer has started the season with Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay as his two central midfielders.
That is the same Pogba who this offseason expressed his desire to leave United for a “new challenge somewhere else.” McTominay is 22 and has impressed with his combative attitude. But he was a bit-part player for much of last season, starting only eight league games.
The recent departures of Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini have left Solskjaer short on options. Andreas Pereira is, like McTominay, inexperienced and Nemanja Matic, who has yet to play this season, looks to be someone Solskjaer is keen to move on from.
United was linked with a number of creative midfielders this offseason, most strongly Portugal international Bruno Fernandes, but didn’t buy one. Pogba often looked exasperated against Palace, throwing his hands out in front of him.
The closest thing United has for someone who can play “between the lines” is Jesse Lingard. Yet even he is more known for his running off the ball — pressing and movement — than what he can do on it.
United is set up to be a counterattacking team under Solskjaer. When teams, like Palace, drop back and let United have the ball, there are few in Solskjaer’s team who can deliver a killer pass through packed defenses. AP
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