Premier League
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gets three-game ultimatum to save career
The United hierarchy are prepared to stick with Solskjaer for now following the humiliating defeat against Liverpool, but his position could become untenable in the near future
Through a fixed stare and with an upper lip that could cut glass, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted that Manchester United were getting “close to what he wants” after the Liverpool humiliation.
The reality is that he is closer to his final curtain call than he’s ever been before.
Solskjaer will be in charge for Saturday’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur, but that could well be the start of his final week as United boss.
The beginning of the end perhaps came long ago, as his team have floundered and confused their way through a series of matches – even during last season’s run to a second-place Premier League finish in a behind-closed-doors campaign that often threw up the unexpected.
This season has brought expensive new additions but with that an increased expectation on the manager.
United were probably never going to win the league up against Manchester City’s millions, Liverpool’s return to what they knew and Chelsea’s coming force, but they could have done with at least looking like they could, instead of whatever it is that Solskjaer has served up, particularly in the last two league matches.
Now his side face Spurs, Atalanta and then City in the seven days from Saturday, each opponent representing the potential to be the toughened glass which allows one more step along the elevated bridge, or the flimsy surface that will lead to doom.
It is now widely expected that the axe will fall on the United boss if he presides over defeats in all three matches, but it could come even sooner than that.
If Atalanta have learned how to hold onto a lead then it could be the Italians who administer the final blow, or if Harry Kane has got his shooting boots on then maybe it comes via a disorganised defeat at Spurs?
Most worryingly for the United boss is the fact that his team could win both of those matches, but then they’ll face a City side who could easily do what Liverpool did to them, and this time show no mercy.
That will place them back at square one, a location that Solskjaer can surely lay claim to residency in such is the frequency of his visits.
And with the international break looming, there would be serious questions for the club’s board.
For now there remains the backing of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, managing director Richard Arnold and crucially Sir Alex Ferguson, however non-plussed he looked with events against Liverpool.
It will be Joel Glazer who makes the final call, but as long as those three named above are all on the same page then there is unlikely to be any movement unless something dramatic happens in these next three games.
It is said that Solskjaer also retains the goodwill and the backing of the vast majority of the playing squad, even if they have misgivings about some of his tactical approaches – or the lack of them.
Those are the issues that are now being openly dissected by the manager’s friends in the media too, with the likes of Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes all suddenly less shy to come forward and pick apart the setup and structure of their former club.
Even despite all that there has been a desire to point out that this is not akin the poisonous final days of the Jose Mourinho reign, when players were alienated and the club’s Carrington training ground became a hostile place, and you can imagine that to be true
No-one inside of United will be taking any pleasure from the situation if we are about to head into Solskjaer’s final week, and the same goes for the vast majority of the United supporters who might now be coming to the collective realisation that the club legend just doesn’t have what it takes – but won’t be too hostile in their criticism.
That is an admirable approach, as is Solskjaer’s continuing defiance in the face of unfolding failures.
You only get so many of those though, and the United manager might have reached his limit very soon.
–Mirror
Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 1-0 to remain top of the Premier League as Arsenal and Manchester City came from behind to win on Saturday.
City were 3-2 victors over Fulham to stay one point behind Liverpool, alongside Arsenal who saw off Southampton 3-1.
Arne Slot has now won nine of his first 10 games since succeeding Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, but was frustrated that the visitors invited a late onslaught from the winless Eagles.
Jota prodded the Reds into the lead from Cody Gakpo’s cross on nine minutes.
The Portuguese international was then guilty of missing two big chances to extend Liverpool’s advantage.
Palace failed to make them pay, but victory came at a cost for Slot as goalkeeper Alisson Becker limped off with a hamstring injury.
“If you score the second you break them mentally,” said Slot. “All the fans kept believing in a result because it was only 1-0, even though in my opinion we were the dominant team.”
Fresh from a dominant win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Arsenal were expected to sweep aside winless Southampton.
But the Saints shocked the Emirates 10 minutes into the second half when Cameron Archer fired in his first Premier League goal since a summer move from Aston Villa.
The lead only lasted three minutes before Kai Havertz scored for the seventh consecutive home game.
Gabriel Martinelli was introduced after an hour and took just eight minutes to make his mark with a finish on the volley from Bukayo Saka’s cross.
Having set up Arsenal’s first two goals, Saka pounced on a loose ball to score the third himself.
Fulham’s outrageous opener
Rodri’s season-long absence due to a serious knee injury is expected to be a major blow to City’s chances of retaining the title for a fifth consecutive season.
But it was the Spaniard’s deputy Mateo Kovacic who scored twice to turn the game around for the champions at the Etihad.
The visitors had not lost since the opening night of the season at Manchester United and led thanks to Andreas Pereira’s finish from an outrageous backheel assist by Raul Jimenez.
Kovacic’s deflected effort quickly brought City level before a cleaner strike less than two minutes into the second half made it 2-1.
Jeremy Doku then smashed into the top corner from outside the box to give City a two-goal cushion, which they needed.
Rodrigo Muniz gave Fulham hope on 88 minutes, but City held out for a 17th consecutive win against the Cottagers.
West Ham eased the pressure on new boss Julen Lopetegui by ending a run of three home defeats to start the new season.
Michail Antonio, Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta struck for the Hammers in a 4-1 win over Ipswich, who are still waiting for their first Premier League win 22 years.
There were six goals before half-time as Brentford beat Wolves 5-3 to leave the visitors still rooted to the foot of the table.
Leicester secured their first league win of the season as Facundo Buonanotte’s strike beat Bournemouth 1-0.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag faces a huge match if he is to remain in charge when the Red Devils visit Aston Villa in the pick of Sunday’s action.
-AFP
Premier League
Premier League rejects City request to delay next season’s games after Club World Cup
The Premier League has rejected Manchester City’s request to postpone the first two games of the 2025-26 season to help the players recover after their FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the U.S., the club’s manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.
City and Chelsea are the two English clubs who have qualified for the expanded month-long Club World Cup set to start on June 15. The Premier League’s season will begin in August.
An increasingly packed soccer calendar has been a concern among a growing number of players and managers. A report by global players’ union FIFPRO said some players get only 12% of the year to rest.
The Premier League did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.
City midfielder Rodri said in September that players could be close to strike action over the time they are required to play. A knee ligament injury has since put him out for the season.
“I don’t know if we will play more games than the treble year (2022-23)… maybe we’ll play less games,” Guardiola told reporters.
“The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery. Thank you so much. They don’t postpone these games so that will be the moment of, oh, what do we have to do?”
He said the Club World Cup will make it even more difficult for clubs to manage player workload.
-Reuters
Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said a decision about under-fire manager Erik ten Hag is not his call, and was reticent about whether he still has faith in the team’s boss amid their worst start to the Premier League season since 1986-87.
“I don’t want to answer that question,” Ratcliffe told the BBC. “I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call, it’s the management team that’s running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects.
“That team that’s running Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren’t there in January, February, March or April — Omar (Berrada, CEO), (Sporting Director) Dan Ashworth — they only arrived in July.
“They’ve only been there . . . you can count it in weeks almost — they’ve not been there a long time so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.”
Ten Hag’s job was the subject of speculation for much of last season en route to the team’s lowest Premier League finish of eighth. After an FA Cup final victory over Manchester City and an end-of-season review, however, Ten Hag signed a new contract to extend his stay at Old Trafford until 2026.
“Our objective is very clear, we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet, obviously, that’s very clear,” Ratcliffe said.
Ten Hag continues to plead for patience from fans with the team languishing 13th in the Premier League table, having lost three of their six opening games. They were headed towards defeat by Porto in the Europa League on Thursday before Harry Maguire scored a last-gasp goal to salvage a 3-3 draw.
-Reuters
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