Under-pressure Solskjaer and Manchester United need a response against Everton
No manager in the world is currently under more pressure than Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. His job has been under pressure since Manchester United suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.
Manchester United have had some very good results this season. However, their inconsistency has been very frustrating for the fans. It’s like whenever the club takes a step forward, two steps backward follow.
Victories against Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig in the Champions League have been punctuated by disappointing losses against Arsenal and Istanbul Basaksehir.
In the Premier League, for every win against a Newcastle United, there is a Crystal Palace loss. That's how inconsistent the team is.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: A manager under pressure
Solskjaer is aware that he is edging closer to the Old Trafford exit door with each passing week that results fail to improve.
The Norwegian has done some good things at the club so far. He’s managed to ship out the ‘dead wood’, while the club is no longer paying astronomical salaries to players who come in.
However, the only thing that can keep him in the job is to get results. And as Manchester United travel to Everton on Saturday, the team and its manager need an instant response to restore confidence.
"If I don't trust my beliefs and values, who else will? I don't look at one or two results and fall like a house of cards,” Solskjaer said in his pre-game conference as quoted by the BBC.
Only results can save Solskjaer's job as Manchester United manager
Typically of the Manchester United manager, he’s choosing to remain upbeat despite the club’s currently debilitating state.
The Red Devils occupy 15th position on the Premier League table and are already nine points behind Liverpool, who are joint top of the table. Solskjaer’s side is also seven points below fourth-placed Tottenham, as the race for the Champions League spots gets hotter.
There will, therefore, be no excuse for the Norwegian and anything less than a win against Everton would only mount more pressure on him, if not get him sacked.
"There are demands on a Man United player, coach and manager. There is an expectation. We have to be tough mentally,” Solskjaer is quoted as saying by the BBC.
"We are the best and biggest club in the world. [After Wednesday] we didn't expect anything but criticism. It is how you deal with it.
"The boys are ready for a reaction. We are all hurt. It is never easy when you lose two games on the bounce but that is football."
Indeed, a good reaction against Everton is the only thing that will appease the fans at this point.
With rumours of Manchester United contacting former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino swirling, another loss on Saturday could be the final nail in Solskjaer’s coffin as Red Devils manager.