United are in a very difficult phase as a club right now, there's no hiding from that. One point from two home league games - against a Villa side starting life post-Grealish and an Everton outfit without two key forwards - is far from good enough, with only the single victory picked up and two defeats sustained during this run of four entirely winnable matches at home.
The reliance on moments of brilliance was exacerbated at the weekend; without such thing against Villarreal, the reds would've seen themselves winless in four. In the absence of instances of magic, United look lost and almost wholly incapable of creating. In fact, if Tom Davies had opted to shoot rather than pass to the offside Yerry Mina late in the match on Saturday, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side could’ve come out of the match with absolutely nothing. That says it all.
With the sort of form the Norwegian and his team are currently enduring, a title race can hardly even be a consideration. United cannot settle for the sort of football that's currently being produced week in, week out. Given the squad at their disposal, the lack of direction and control shown by the management's approach on a really regular basis at the moment is verging on staggering. The performances look very good in phases as you'd expect, but it's seemingly impossible to sustain such level. United look distinctly like a team without any sort of identity or defined style of play at the moment, which isn’t good enough for a club of this elite standard.
In spite of the current run, Fabrizio Romano has stated that United have no intentions of replacing Solskjaer as it stands - with no contact made with any other managers. However, he made it clear that it's inevitably not impossible for the situation to change if things worsen further after the international break. At the moment, Solskjaer is absolutely deemed the right man for the job and has the complete confidence of the board. There is no panic within the club right now, with clear understanding that it’ll take time for the numerous prolific new signings to integrate into the squad and aid the boss' creation of the now-elusive identity within the team.
Yesterday, it was announced that Solskjaer's assistant manager Mike Phelan has signed a new contract until 2024. Furthermore, reports from the MEN are suggesting that Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna are also set to be awarded new three-year contracts. Following on from Solskjaer's summer extension, this is another huge statement of faith for the current project from the board.
It's clear that there is some discontent between players and fans alike at the moment. Take Cristiano Ronaldo for example, he was visibly disgruntled as he stormed off the pitch after the Everton draw; a lack of service saw his involvement limited (after his introduction off the bench), which ultimately came from the lack of grip on the match.
To conclude, 14 points from seven league matches isn't catastrophic but is underwhelming having not yet played a "big six" club. Chelsea, on the other hand, have amassed 16 points and top the standings having played four of the traditional top six sides in the country. United do remain in touching distance, but inconsistency throughout fixtures which they're expected to win may cost Solskjaer's side dearly in the near future.
The next 10 fixtures are massively difficult on paper. There are encounters with each of the other members of the fabled "big six", with honourary top six members Leicester the first match after the international break. Two meetings with Atalanta and a trip to Spain to face Villarreal come within this run of 10 matches, with a trip to Vicarage Road theoretically the only 'easier' match within the phase.
There has been clear progression under Solskjaer, but has he reached his limit? This upcoming run of games is potentially make or break.
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