DBasia.news – Manchester United entered the international break in November with the spotlight on their poor form. The inconsistency of their performance in the Premier League is very visible under the direction of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Despite a 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur and a 2-2 draw against Atalanta, the 0-7 ‘goal aggregate’ defeat against Liverpool (0-5) and Manchester City (0-2) in the Premier League which was held at Old Trafford became the main highlight.
United did not show unity as a team in those two defeats and did not appear like they could win the game or even score goals, with a lack of desire to get the ball and win the game.
Solskjaer’s position as manager was highlighted by the vulnerability of his dismissal issue. Uniquely, there is one statistic that shows Solskjaer’s lack of confidence in the depth of the United squad.
The statistics came from former United player, Daniel James, who left for Leeds United in August for 25 million pounds. Despite having left the club he joined from 2019, James has interesting statistics.
According to data published by UtdArena before James moved to Leeds, the Welsh winger played 126 minutes of his two Premier League games. That alone exceeds Diogo Dalot, Jesse Lingard, Eric Bailly, Alex Telles, and Donny van de Beek.
What do those statistics mean? Solskjaer has not rotated United’s squad that has good team depth, he tends to be unsure of other players who rarely play regularly.
It’s no wonder that Solskjaer has not only been highlighted for failing to lift United’s performance, but has also been criticized for the way he has handled players who rarely play but have quality like Van de Beek and Jadon Sancho.
After the international break in November, United will still be playing a period of big games against Chelsea and Arsenal.