Solskjaer Struggling in Champions League

20/09/21 1563

The 2-1 loss for Manchester United in the Champions League at Young Boys was a shock and ended their unbeaten away run.

It was a hugely disappointing start to the competition but a look back on some of the previous Champions League results under the guidance of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer shows a record of poor performances and results.

The defeat in Switzerland means Solskjaer has now recorded 7 losses in 11 Champions League matches and that is clearly not good enough to even come close to winning the competition.

The  defeat at home against Paris Saint-Germain in 2018/19 plus the home and away defeats against Barcelona can be forgiven due to the superior quality of the opposition but the 3-0 loss at the Camp Nou was a lacklustre performance.

Fast forward to November 2020 and the group stages of the Champions League and Manchester United appeared well set to qualify from their group.

However, a 2-1 defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir saw Manchester United on the back foot for their remaining three fixtures in the group, one of which was away against RB Leipzig and another at home against Paris Saint-Germain.

The defeat in Turkey was an awful performance and the team appeared to take the match for granted.

Some of the defending was shambolic and when you consider Istanbul Basaksehir finished the 2020/21 Turkish Super Lig season in 12th place, it tells you everything you need to know about the result.

The 3-1 loss at RB Leipzig on match day six was another bad day at the office for Manchester United defensively in the Champions League under Solskjaer. Attacking the space behind the Manchester United full-backs, RB Leipzig scored what looked like relatively straightforward goals and some of the naivety in defence was alarming.

The midfield was nowhere to be seen for much of the game and the result saw Manchester United eliminated from the Champions League without so much as a whimper.

That brings us back to the most recent match and defeat in the Champions League, against Young Boys. The 35th-minute red card shown to Aaron Wan-Bissaka was clearly a major turning point in the game but Manchester United were not playing great before the full-back was sent off.

Having had an attempt on goal at the midway point of the first half, little did Manchester United fans know at the time but that would be their final shot on goal in the match.

The approach in the second half was baffling as Manchester United changed to a 5-3-1 formation. They conceded both possession and territory to Young Boys, who deserved to go on and win the match. Solskjaer got it wrong in the second half and paid the ultimate price, not for the first time in the Champions League.

The Norwegian is already under pressure to beat Villarreal at Old Trafford on match day two and the Spanish club could be a tough nut to crack. Under Solskjaer, Manchester United have been better when the opposition have attacked in numbers but that is unlikely to happen often against Villarreal.

Anything but a win against Villarreal is going to leave Manchester United and Solskjaer under severe pressure.