Andy Mitten

On The Ball | Solskjaer can’t afford for Champions League disappointment to blow Man United’s Premier League form

United are in a strong position in the league, but can’t afford Champions League exit to knock on to domestic form as it did for Louis van Gaal a few years back

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Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw his side exit the Uefa Champions League earlier this week after a promising start. Photo: AFP

Andy Mitten

Published: 4:00pm, 11 Dec 2020Updated: 4:00pm, 11 Dec 2020

After Tuesday’s Uefa Champions League elimination, Manchester United have the difficult task of getting back on track in Saturday’s Manchester derby.

Emotions are high and the disappointment of the defeat to RB Leipzig cuts deep after a positive beginning in the group, especially after United started the game so poorly in Germany – a worrying recent trend. United keep going behind and have led at half-time in only six of their 18 games so far this season. What’s the point in having nine shots, scoring two and hitting the bar if you give opponents a quick two-goal lead, where almost all the players, including the best one, Bruno Fernandes, failed to press or track?

United’s players need to learn from such failures, learn from the experience of playing against the best since it’s no longer a team of winners, a team which reaches the latter stages of the Champions League season after season. United is a club which has made numerous mistakes in recent years from senior to junior recruitment to a lack of funding for the youth system. They have to learn from them and recruitment has improved, the mood among the players too.

The second tier Europa League is not where United want to be, but there’s no question of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being dismissed imminently. His club feel that his young team is making progress and that while there will be further bumps along the way, and further issues to resolve like Paul Pogba’s future, they are heading in the right direction.

A third win against City this year and his team will be seven points better off in the Premier League than after 11 games last season. United are scoring more goals and have picked up more league points than any club bar Liverpool since January.

United see no point in turning back and want to break the perception of the hire and fire cycle of the years after Alex Ferguson’s retirement which was leaving them with unbalanced teams with no clear identity. The team is showing signs of developing, there are young and exciting players, the youth academy is flush with talent brought from major European clubs before Brexit could impose limitations on recruitment.