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YYou can say that people have long been inclined to strive to see the order in which chaos really reigns. Tolstoy's reflections on military history War and peace are pretty much what the battles are gigantic, horrible damage where anything and everything can happen. People come next and join the bloody points to tell what really happened and generally state that the remaining lucky turf is a genius. Napoleon never ceased to be a divine genius and an unstoppable force on reaching Moscow; as many thought, the guy's lucky series was simply exhausted.
I would not like to compare Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to Napoleon. Ken Early Irish Times has done a good job comparing Mourinho to Bonaparte a few months ago. I would like to suggest, however, that few things in the world are the subject of so many attempts to put events into stories like football.
If you search for the term "Manchester United crisis" on Google, you get more than 8,000 results. Certainly no one has been able to challenge in the last six years, the club has failed to achieve the excellence we are used to since the beginning of the Premier League era. This is not a period of continual sadness. They have won three trophies in these six years, have been in the Champions League four times and earned a credible second place in 2017/18 with enough points to have allowed them to win the league several more seasons (including when they tripled in 1999). winning year).
What makes these last years are tinged with disappointment, it is the fact widely recognized that their managers at this time were largely catastrophes. Moyes David, Louis van Gaal and the names of José Mourinho will be enough to roll back many supporters of United. These are names badociated with mediocrity that the club does not seem to be able to get rid of. After such a promising start, Solskjaer is about to join them.
United's fortunes in most of these reigns have been strangely incoherent, with extreme resilience, magical moments and recorded records mixed with abject failures. For example, there was Juan Mata shot after a 45-key move under Van Gaal; record 25 games without defeat in the first season of Mourinho; as well as famous European victories at Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain last season.
Solskjaer's reign has been the oddest so far: the Premier League's top ten matches, followed by eight rather pathetic defeats, which saw their hopes of making the UEFA Champions League next season at home. Huddersfield and the season is over. flatter note with a home defeat against Cardiff.
If those series winners who had won the highest honors of the game elsewhere (and Moyes) were simply immersed in their depths at Old Trafford, left desperate from the start by operating in the shadow of Fergie, left behind by the confusion and lack of professionalism of Fergie. the backrooms of the club, or have they also failed to some extent because the football world thought they failed?
Read | Louis van Gaal: a success that divides
Curious reports were revealed about how Van Gaal had managed to alienate the lodge right after his dismissal. Among the strange and awkward features, the Dutchman would email individual badysis clips to his players and even follow e-mails when it was clear that many of them did not open the messages. Call me cynical, but if you grab hundreds of thousands of people a week to play football and your boss sends you personalized advice on how to do it better, should not you at least watch them?
An excessive preseason training camp, which included two daily training sessions, video meetings and tactical discussions, was another incredible idea. The fact that players had toast at dinner on the camp was cited as another issue of contention. Granted, I'm no longer a KitKat man and yogurt, given the choice, but the whole report felt a player sticking the boot to Van Gaal at the exit, saying that United was missing the Champions League, it was the Dutch. fault.
If I were a player and the whole world accused my manager of a series of mediocre results, I would probably blame him too before looking at my own failures. Who would not? At the heart of us, the majority of us are just soldiers looking for the surest way to cross the vast and complex monster that is life. If you are a high level footballer and virtually all your actions are reviewed and praised or criticized by thousands of people on social networks, could you really dismiss this weight of opinion or ignore the ridiculous?
Despite all the talk of the experts that players should not let him affect him or the best way to react is on the ground, they are human beings. Of course, footballers have always heard about all kinds of nonsense in the stadiums, but nowadays, they can be exposed to the same kind of feelings around the clock if they use social media. Psychologically, all this must be a bit suffocating.
A perfectly human reaction is to protect ourselves from criticism and frustration by hiding behind others. Part of the job of a football coach has always been to serve as a lightning rod for worn supporters. They accept it especially too.
Social media is a forum for discussion and persuasion for the world, but in reality they often end up amplifying shared viewpoints to the point of considering them almost as facts. Do you remember how people were raging to urge United to permanently name Solskjaer in its debut? Indeed, they named him.
Consensus can suddenly change, and competition for online tastes is leading many people to let the world know they have changed their minds. including the big journalists. What is black and what can change, but there is rarely room for gray. Just as big clubs can go through fits of fame, Game of Thrones seems to have a reputation for being a masterpiece, but its last season is ridiculed. even when people only watched the first two episodes.
Read | The social psychology that Manchester United has missed and must win, since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson
Only a top footballer can really say what it is to play under a manager who, according to the whole world, is a failure. Accusing players of a poor performing team for not caring or trying seems too simplistic. How many people would really want to focus only on a nice paycheck and feel nothing of the shame of defeat and being badociated with failure in the eyes of the world? What happens at a deeper psychological level is interesting. Could you get an additional essential benefit by installing this extra yard if you already thought your manager was a failure?
This raises an interesting question about José Mourinho, who earlier in his career was known for his incredible ability to motivate his players. Was he just unable to motivate the players at the end of his stay at Old Trafford as before, or was he, the players did not really respond to him when the world seemed to have written him off? Maybe after seeing ridicule as much, they could not help but look at him with doubts.
Interestingly, both Van Gaal and Mourinho praised the loyalty of Manchester United fans, yet they both seemed to have "lost the reserve" towards the end of their spells. Perhaps the players became mutinous independently, but it seems possible that the disappointing perception of the entire world vis-à-vis their leaders has permeated the players' own perspective.
When Solskjaer enjoyed his starting record at Old Trafford, the simplicity of his media approach was remarkable. It would seem that he would respond with a smile and all the questions that the press would give him to the press and refer to him "We are Manchester United" – hinting that he believed in some kind of intrinsic greatness of his players emanating from their red shirts. It worked: for a moment, they were unstoppable. But in a strange similarity to his predecessors, doubt gradually became hopeless.
The experts also pointed out that Solskjaer's references to "we are Manchester United", although useful, were not convincing, mainly because no one really knew what Manchester United represented these days. It is there that lies the crux of the problem.
Although they have provided so many facets in the Premier League era that one can appreciate for various reasons, the most defining feature of the club is undoubtedly the success that it has. they have known in two decades of domination of English football. Despite the financial resources of their local rivals to make this success difficult, it remains the event against which the club is judged. In the absence of any other clear philosophy that clings to, the failure to achieve the sort of success that would have always been unlikely has seemingly condemned successive managers.
Read | The disappearance of José Mourinho: six years of quarrels, pragmatism and pbading time
United will always attract a lot of speculation and comments in social media, but instead of being at the mercy of the opinions expressed by people, they must try to lead the process.
Some football circles show disdain for clubs that talk about philosophy. As Mourinho himself said after winning in the Europa League: "There are a lot of poets in football, but poets do not earn a lot of titles." All clubs definitely want to win first. Of course that's what they do.
At a time when big clubs share many tactical similarities, motivation matters. It's much easier to motivate players if you have a clear strategy to channel a club's efforts. Think about how Ajax has almost managed to qualify for the Champions League final: a strong identity defined over generations and endowed with the power of a young positivity. Also consider how Norwich and Barnsley got promoted this season not by spending more than their rivals, but because of the clarity of their vision.
Look at any club that has established such common thinking and its players will seem to work more than anyone else. It makes sense that they do it if they have a clear plan to follow. A number of times last season, various experts tore up in Paul Pogba for a so-called lack of leadership, but how can a player – even an experienced and expensive player – set the tone without a clear plan to follow?
It was not surprising to read during the research in this article that Van Gaal had stated in a recent interview that United was the only club he ran where he had no discussion about play styles or philosophy before his appointment. Defining what Manchester United is and what they are defending will be the first job of the sports director they are currently seeking to recruit. It will also be the most important.
A dose of realism will be needed because too much promise too early will not do them any good. Whether it's to give young people an opportunity to shine, for an offensive style of play or for a love of talented players, the rich history of the club contains all the ingredients to set a positive path to the future. Shouting aloud will not be just a public relations exercise; this could simply be the essential element to foster a happier environment.
This will give the club leader a guide on what to focus on and, even if the results still matter, he will introduce a vital additional element for which his progress can be judged. Providing details – where until now there was only hope and confusion – could put an end to the fluctuations in the perception of their managers and, if it is done well, put an end to years of turbulence at Old Trafford.
By Dan Billingham @D_Billingham
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