By Raj Chopra.
Manchester United have always been linked with the game’s top players, and when they were winning league titles year after year, they got who they wanted more often than not.
But in recent times the club has failed to land high priority targets, leading to panic buys and some ridiculous salaries.
This is a huge frustration for the fans, who at the start of every transfer window expect the necessary personnel to be brought in. But I would have to question whether this is really what Manchester United need right now to improve the team and ultimately improve consistency.
No matter which player is brought into the club right now, there will not be a consistent improvement in results because there is a systemic issue at Manchester United.
This systemic issue is the fear of not living up to the recent triumphs achieved by Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams. The fear that now exists in the DNA of the club is having a major impact on the board, CEO, manager and ultimately the players.
The message surrounding Manchester United in the media is one of negativity and this feeds into the players’ mindset.
United have now had four managers since the departure of Ferguson. Each manager brought their own personality, style of play, insecurities, philosophies and enthusiasm for the game. None have so far come anywhere near the expectation.
Many will argue that the failure has been United’s transfer policy, which has brought players not fit to wear the shirt. United’s failing in the transfer market is well documented, and all four managers since Ferguson will complain they did not get their desired players, but even with the players that were brought in, there were below-par performances or players not reaching their potential.
Where is the free spirit that we once saw from legends at United such as Eric Cantona, George Best, and Ryan Giggs?
As much as we were led to think this is how the current team under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer play, the fear factor has set back in. There was evidence of a freedom in the United team when Solskjaer initially took over from Jose Mourinho. There was this visible vacuum that allowed the team to play with freedom and style. But then it was only a matter of time before that fear factor once again set in due to all the negativity surrounding the club.
We have seen the effectiveness of team spirit in Leicester’s heroic premiership title win. There is no better example of a desire to defeat the odds and play collectively as a team. Leicester defied all the odds to win the Premier League and this would never have been possible had there been any negativity within the club.
So, when you have a group of highly paid superstars like those at Manchester United who are expected to achieve but fail to deliver, one will naturally question the desire, team spirit and tactics. Now, it is quite easy to point the finger at Solskjaer as team spirit and tactics are down to him as manager.
Due to this, many fans and pundits right now are calling for Solskjaer’s dismissal, claiming he is out of his depth, and a more astute tactical manager would get a better tune out of the current players, but then why did we see the same inept performances with Mourinho and Louis van Gall’s teams? These were previously proven, successful managers.
The whole mindset of the club needs to change. Fans need to change their expectancy level on transfer targets until the ownership is changed, and the manager needs to take the view that it’s a bonus if he gets one of the players he’s asked for.
The manager, along with a Director of Football, needs to coach the existing players on camaraderie and playing for each other in the team. A new initiative is required that sends a message to all the players that the club, including the board, are all pulling in the same direction.
Right now, Manchester United appear to everybody as a club disjointed with no unity from the board to the players. Every message in the media regarding Manchester United right now is negative and this feeds into the mindset of all the players. Without unity in the club, each and every player is playing with fear.
This is not the answer to all of United’s issues, but if the mindset does not change then each and every player brought into the club will only adopt the same fear once the honeymoon period is over. Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Paul Pogba, Memphis Depay, Angel di Maria, are all examples of this.
United must do everything as a club to send a message of unity so that the camaraderie in the dressing room can flourish. Ferguson was known for creating a siege type mentality to get the best out of his team collectively. Manchester United as a club now need to do this to build again.