Premier League 2020/21 Team-By-Team: No Sancho points to difficult year for Man Utd

What Ole Gunnar Solskjaer achieved as Manchester United manager last season is extremely rare in modern football. The impatience in boardrooms, and financial incentives for riding the new manager bounce, means it is almost unheard of for a head coach to change our minds once they've been perceived as inadequate. By autumn Solskjaer was a dead man walking. After a strong six months, he is now the figurehead of an exciting new project.

But if the winds can change so quickly, they can easily change back. Solskjaer deserves a lot of credit for United's performances throughout 2020 and yet there remains a tactical naivety at Old Trafford and a reliance on individuality that could see the Bruno Fernandes effect wane in 2020/21.

As long as Mauricio Pochettino is waiting in the wings, Solskjaer will be under scrutiny. This season will tell us, once and for all, whether the Norwegian is the right man to take United back to the top of English football.

State of play

Fernandes' energy in central midfield should not have been able to alter the rhythm of Man Utd's performances quite so drastically. The upturn in tempo proves that Solskjaer's side are a team of individuals, under-coached and generally left to improvise their attacking patterns as if we're still in the 1990s.

But perhaps Solskjaer is on to something. Like Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, this respected former United player is inspiring top quality players to simply outplay their direct opponent; if Ed Woodward can take advantage of the growing financial chasm between the top few teams and the rest by building a team of Galacticos in Manchester, then all United need is a motivator on the side lines - a company man who says the right things as his team bully inferior players.

That might be a bit harsh on Solskjaer given how intricate his tactical battle plans have become in 'Big Six' matches, when United sit deeper and generally emerge victorious. And yet it does appear that in the modern game the richest clubs can afford to hire someone without the tactical credentials but with an abundance of optimism, a currency earned from their playing days.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Solskjaer's man management is this team's biggest strength. The players seem to be enjoying themselves, reacting well to his arm-around-the-shoulder style and buying into the mythologizing of United's past. Along with what one assumes is some good one-on-one coaching sessions, it has dramatically improved the performances of Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba, and Fred.

Mason Greenwood's emergence towards the end of the season has added another dimension to an already strong attack, with several partnerships developing that will bear fruit in 2020/21; Fernandes and Pogba are working well together, while Martial and Rashford might already be the best strike partnership in the country.

However, the focus on individuality over in-depth tactical positioning means United are prone to suddenly looking stale when up against a particularly stubborn opponent. Without moves etched into muscle memory to fall back on, the whole structure collapses when confidence wanes. This is an emotional team at its core, and if results start to slip then things will likely deteriorate for a long time before a recovery can begin.

Transfer business

The best way to avoid a major fall is to simply hoover up some world-class talent with those vast cash reserves, but Woodward remains a poor negotiator and it is holding them back. The pandemic has given the Glazers an excuse not to pursue deals for both Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish, and considering how poorly they botched a deal for the former it is probable they will fail with the latter, too.

They have already missed out on Nathan Ake, and there are no obvious alternatives at present to upgrade on Victor Lindelof. Douglas Costa has also been linked, even though the 29-year-old is surely past his best. Unless Borussia Dortmund budge on Sancho, it looks set to be a hugely disappointing summer at Old Trafford.

What supporters expect

Next summer will mark eight years since their last title, and with Liverpool now just one short of United's record 20, supporters are anxious to close the gap on their great rivals. Most recognise that it is too soon to expect a serious challenge in 2020/21, although if Sancho, Grealish, and a top centre-back were to join before the end of the window that perception would change.

The number one priority is to engage in conversation at the top end of the table, and not simply squeeze into the top four. The United hierarchy are highly unlikely to accept another season in which fourth spot comes down to the wire, or in which the club win a meagre 66 points.

2019/20 was Solskjaer's transitional season. Now the fans demand results.

Look out for...

Exhaustion putting Solskjaer under pressure: A subplot of the 2020/21 season across the Premier League will be physical exhaustion, and having reached the last four of the Europa League United are likely to be among the worst affected. Given that their good performances rely on confidence and psychology more than tactical awareness, tiredness will most likely lead to meandering and lifeless performances as the campaign wears on.

Solskjaer doesn't have the squad depth to cope, either. Look out for a sticky December in which United play 10 matches in all competitions, including, in the Premier League: Man City (h), Sheff Utd (a), Leeds United (h), Leicester City (a), and Wolves (h). That is the sort of nightmare run that, if United are running on empty, could put the manager out of a job. Given the length of the odds, it's worth a small wager on Solskjaer to be the first manager to leave his post at 33/1.