In December of last year, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over as interim manager of Manchester United.
Manchester United was surprised by the speed and steepness of the descent.
When the Portuguese star scored two goals in a win over the Falcons, it seemed like everything was going well. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Solskjaer would be fired 10 weeks after the match when hundreds of fans waited more than half an hour to hail the Portuguese superstar.
Solskjaer was catapulted out of the manager's chair following Saturday's 4-1 loss atWatford, after surviving the 2-0 'humiliation' by Manchester City on 6 November.
The numbers are very stark. Since that victory, there have been four wins in 13 matches. United has seven points from eight games. Nineteen goals were scored in seven games. The Carabao Cup is out of the way.
It would have been worse if David de Gea had not saved the penalty at West Ham in September, and if they had lost at home to Atalanta in the first leg of the knockout stages of the European Championship.
The pros.
In his two full seasons in charge, Solskjaer guided United to third and second place in the league.
Solskjaer's exit has been a long time coming for some. Since his appointment was made permanent in March, they have been waiting for the Norwegian to fail because they were never sure he was up to the job.
That judgement is very harsh.
Solskjaer restored pride to a club that had lost it during the last days of Jose Mourinho's reign. He acted and took decisions for the benefit of Manchester United.
He finished second in the league last season, which is as good as United have done since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. They were top after 19 games, a position they haven't enjoyed since Ferguson left.
Solskjaer would have given himself protection against the problems that have engulfed him if they had beaten Villarreal in the final. The effect of those fine margins going against the Norwegian are being felt now that De Gea missed in the penalty shoot out.
The cons of Solskjaer.
Solskjaer is responsible for United's collapse.
He knows which players he trusts and which he does not. Evidently, the person who falls into the latter category is Donny van de Beek.
It is not clear what role Solskjaer played in Van de Beek's arrival from Ajax in September 2020, but he never gave any impression he thought the Dutchman could be a significant presence at Old United.
According to one source, Solskjaer felt that Van de Beek was nervous and uncertain about his future at United.
It is odd that the view is from an empty stadium. Solskjaer's view was undermined even more by the fact that Van de Beek came on and scored as United thrashed about looking for a way back into the game.
Van de Beek was one of a number of United players who have been overlooked.
David de Gea has been one of United's best performers and Dean Henderson's hopes of challenging for the goalkeeping slot have been dashed.
With De Gea and Henderson on first-team duties, Tom Heaton has been reduced to the role of third choice, which does not seem to be the best use of the 35-year-old, who was in the England squad before he got injured two years ago.
Jesse Lingard posted a picture of himself on social media wearing a West Ham kit. The collapse of contract talks with United was learned of by the media.
Lingard's outstanding loan spell at West Ham in the second half of last season propelled him back into the England squad. He didn't return to London Stadium on a permanent basis in the summer because he didn't think Solskjaer would offer more opportunities.
There is a crisis of confidence.
The Manchester United player was sent off against the Hornets on Saturday.
On November 12th, after scoring in England's win over Albania, Harry Maguire stuck his fingers in his ears, which was interpreted as a dig at his critics. The United captain was sent off in the club's defeat at the hands of the Hornets.
The defender's recent form was shown in those two matches. Good for England and bad for United.
During the 4-2 defeat at his old club, he made a mistake that gave the home side a way back into the game. It could be seen during the Manchester derby when he and Shaw allowed City to take control and score.
The two were waiting for the ball to leave the field. That attitude was different from that of Bernardo, who was pro-active in trying to make something happen. The United side has a timidity.
His concentration has never been good. He did the same thing against City in the build-up to their opening goal after being caught in no-man's land againstLiverpool.
After a poor performance against City that was as bad as he has produced since he came to United, Bruno Fernandes failed to equalise atWatford.
It has never been clear why United spent so much money on Fred. No-one is arguing that things would have been better if Paul Pogba had been available, because he was sent off after coming on as a substitute.
Is Solskjaer willing to challenge the owners?
One of the accusations that is thrown about Solskjaer is that he doesn't have a strong footballing style to mark him out, meaning that he pales in comparison with managerial giants such as Thomas Tuchel andPep Guardiola.
This view ignores the fact that he has beaten sides managed by all three of them, as well as getting the better of them.
Solskjaer felt his squad lacked the fitness to press the way he wanted. The aim was to have a younger strike force who could run and force the opposition to make mistakes.
There was a consistent pattern to Solskjaer's recruitment. He persuaded Edinson Cavani to stay at Old United for an extra year when it appeared that he was going to leave, after signing Jadon Sancho early in the close season.
The impact on his return was immediate.
The template was smashed by the arrival ofRonaldo.
The number nine role was handed over to the 36-year-old at a stroke. As a result, Cavani has barely played, and Greenwood has occupied a wide role, reducing the opportunities for Sancho.
This season, United has been saved more than once by the goals ofRonaldo. 10 years ago, pressing defenders out of possession was not his game.
Did Solskjaer value the return of the Portuguese star more than the executives who knew what a commercial impact he would have?
Was he willing to say so?
Even though Solskjaer was still in his job, a few sources wondered if he was prepared to go to war internally for what he believed was right, or if he was prepared to challenge Ed Woodward.
Solskjaer's nature meant he would accept imperfect situations rather than rail against them, which is why he felt he was fortunate to get such a massive job.
That narrative may explain why Solskjaer was able to survive those defeats. It may explain why United didn't make a move for the demanding Italian.
They are looking for a manager after Ferguson.
They can't be sure they will get it right this time.
