By Emmanuel Ebimoh
It is often said that how a man starts a race is just as important as how he ends it. So essentially, the two points needed for victory in any race are the beginning and the end. This is the story on the lips of every excited Manchester United fan today.
The last time Manchester United scored five goals in a premier league match before last Saturday was 5 years ago, under the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson. After the 27 years stint of the Scottish legend as manager of the club, there has been a series of managerial appointments to help bring back the glory days of old, the last of which was Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese tactician came into the club in high prospect, and in 2 years in charge, he had won three trophies – the UEFA Europa cup, the English League Cup, and the Community Shield – amidst various criticism to his style of play. However, in his third year in charge, Coach Jose Mourinho started to get things wrong.
First, it was his weakening style of play, the 4-2-3-1 formation that seemed to cage most of his best players from performing at their peak. Then his defensive approach to every game regardless of the opponent, his brutish criticisms of his players and the board, and finally, his frequents unsavoury dressing room fights with most of his players. Despite his successes at previous clubs before joining Manchester United, Mourinho lost the critical aspect to building a formidable team, which is, bonding with his team.
And so it wasn’t surprising that in 17 games this season under the reign of Mourinho, Manchester United had lost five, drawn five –notably against weaker opponents, and won eight, settling in 6th position on the EPL log. The quest for a place amongst the elite in Europe next season was gradually slipping away from their hands. And with 19 points behind leaders, Liverpool, perhaps it’s safe to say that the league title was already out of their reach.
In a desperate move to at least salvage something before things got worse, the board thought it wise to relief Jose Mourinho, the once ‘Special one’, of his job. In the interim, former Manchester United striker, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed manager of the club.
Now, it seems light has finally dawned in the heart of Old Trafford. With his very first game in charge, Solskjaer’s rejuvenated United team walloped Cardiff City 5-1 in the Cardiff City stadium. In fact, it was the first time Manchester United scored three first half goals in a match this year. The intensity with which the players played suggested that life has been brought into the team. Suddenly every player seemed ready to execute more for the team on the pitch. The energy increased, and it was nothing but a spectacle to watch Manchester United play again. The question now on everyone’s lips is, can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the one who many nicknamed as ‘Babyface’, save the season for United?
With a 4-3-3 formation, the Red Devils appeared too hot for the boys from Cardiff City to handle. An early goal from a free-kick by Marcus Rashford, a deflected thunderbolt shot from Herrera, and a sublime team move followed by a cool finish from Anthony Martial immediately after Cardiff City had scored from the penalty spot made sure United were in the driver’s seat at half time.
Jesse Lingard made it four just before the hour mark, and he finished the demolition with an assist from Paul Pogba to make it 5-1. It was a thumping victory by United’s standard and even Mourinho will be glad of the performance.
On Boxing Day, they play Huddersfield at Old Trafford, and also welcome Bournemouth on the 30th for their last game of the year. Though it’s still early days, many believe Solskjaer’s revolution is capable of bringing back the glory days of Old Trafford. We’ll all wait and see how far this new spark of life in the Manchester United team will take them this season, and perhaps, beyond.
Emmanuel Ebimoh is a writer and social media strategist with 9News Nigeria. You can reach him on emmyebimoh@gmail.com
