Manchester United's defeat to City shows they cannot win the big games under Ole Gunnar...

[ASFN Admin]

There will have been plenty of back slapping and nods of approval behind the glossy corporate façade at Manchester United about the way Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have gone about things this season, but this result was a reminder things are not always as good as they look at first glance. The men in suits had backed their manager, stubbornly refusing to contemplate what everyone said would be a managerial upgrade if only they would see sense and replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with the then out-of-work Maurcio Pochettino. How clever they must have felt as United offered the most compelling evidence in the two years Solskjaer had been manager that he had a team that was not only improving, but that he was the man who had the temperament and the knowledge to lead them. This semi-final defeat to Manchester City was the moment that growing sense of self-satisfaction evaporated. Manchester United were a semi-final side last season. They remain one now. They are the nearly men; nearly enough talent; nearly enough strength to win things, but lacking something. United reached three semi-finals last season, in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Europa League and lost them all. They surprised people by securing a top four finish in the Premier League and a return to the Champions League. Solid achievements but not success.

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