Have Manchester United been too hasty in naming their new manager? That is a question that is currently up for debate and on recent form, you would have to say that perhaps it was a decision that could have waited until the Summer.
At the same time, the United hierarchy would have been fully aware that anyone who did take the reigns on a permanent basis, then had a huge rebuilding job on their hands and therefore, it made sense to install a successor to Jose Mourinho as soon as possible.
With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm, there is no question that United have improved and to be even in with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season, is something that must be commended.
However, with three defeats from their last four league outings, it is clear to see that the Red Devils have hit the wall and after recent performances, it makes you think that perhaps the underlying problem is the players after all.
They were once again outclassed in midweek, although that does come with the caveat that they were up against arch rivals Manchester City and that most recent defeat has put a huge dent in their hopes of a top four finish.
While this Sunday, you could argue that in the context of this season, they have an ever bigger game on the horizon and one that will ultimately decide whether or not, they do actually return to the Champions League next season.
That’s because, they go up against a Chelsea side who start the weekend lying fourth – although by the time this encounter gets underway, they could well find themselves in fifth and behind local rivals Arsenal.
Whichever position both United and Chelsea start off in, there is no doubting that this game takes on the mantle of “must win” and whoever fails to win, will know that they may well have to settle for Thursday night European football next season.
Of course, one should not forget that Chelsea do have the perfect backup plan and one that comes in the shape of actually winning the Europa League, while with a Semi-final around the corner, you do wonder how strong Maurizio Sarri will go for this one.
That said, the Blues will need to play a lot better than they did on Monday night at Stamford Bridge, as they were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Burnley and this was a game where you could almost see the Chelsea players losing their heads.
Was this frustration the end result of months of pressure building up, it certainly looked like it and it was clear to see that they were failing to break down the brand of “anti-football” that Burnley manager Sean Dyche was serving up.
The hope for Chelsea, is that Manchester United will play more on the front foot and to be honest, you would expect that to be the case. It is a game that both teams need three points from, unfortunately they could well end up with just one each.