Thick and fast come the questions and concerns for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the latest exhibition of Manchester United s apparent mediocrity coming in a 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal in the manager s 100th match at the helm.
Sunday s result means United have gone winless in their first four home matches of a domestic league campaign for the first time since 1972-73, with the Red Devils form showing signs of trouble even before Arsenal s latest visit.
But the manner of United s performance in contrast to that of Mikel Arteta s Gunners will arguably provide the greatest concern, with Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba once again seemingly unable to co-exist effectively.
United came into the contest on a temporary crest of positivity following their 5-0 demolition of RB Leipzig in the Champions League, Solskjaer earning praise for his deployment of a midfield diamond.
But any goodwill from that performance dissipated in the first 45 minutes here as Arteta set up Arsenal virtually to perfection, with United s chief creators – Pogba and Fernandes – nullified.
The contest was a mismatch in some ways during the first half as one team aggressively asserted control on and off the ball, while the other meekly struggled to put up resistance.
1 Manchester United have attempted just one shot against Arsenal; their fewest in the first half of a Premier League home game since October 2015 (0 v Manchester City). Blunt.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
Initially Arsenal allowed United to have possession, but so effective were the visitors with their high press that they essentially began to dominate in possession by default.
United s passing didn t help, though credit should go where it was due for Arsenal – Bukayo Saka made four interceptions in the first half, while Alexandre Lacazette made three tackles, highlighting their approach in the final third.
In the opening 10 minutes, only 12.8 per cent of the match was played in Arsenal s defensive third compared to 43.3 per cent in United s. That set the tone for the remainder of the first half, with the hosts managing a solitary shot, their worst such record in the opening 45 of a home league since 2015.
United began the second half with a renewed sense of positivity and fluency in attack, with two shots in as many minutes, but it was by no means the start of a sustained improvement.
Solskjaer altered his set-up slightly at the interval, pushing Mason Greenwood further out to the right, with Marcus Rashford supported down the middle by Fernandes and Pogba on the left.
United enjoyed a much greater share of the ball after the break, up to 59 per cent from 48 per cent.
But Pogba and Fernandes continued to struggle to find relevance, both ending the match with just a single key pass each and neither managing to get a shot on target.
Jamie Carragher s recent suggestion the pair cannot play in the same team caused much debate, with even the Portugal midfielder insisting they can feature together.
1 Manchester United have lost at home against Arsenal in the Premier League for the first time since September 2006, ending an unbeaten home run of 13 games against the Gunners (W8 D5). Diminished.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
But there was little evidence here to support Fernandes claim, with the pair appearing shoehorned into the side with Fred and Scott McTominay – as a result, United were so narrow and that constantly played into the hands of Arsenal, who suffocated the hosts throughout.
There was an air of inevitability around Pogba then conceding the decisive penalty, needlessly tripping Hector Bellerin when the Spaniard looked more likely to head towards the corner flag than actually threaten the United goal.
As unimpressive as United were, Arsenal deserve praise – Arteta brought them to Old Trafford with a clear gameplan and it was executed to perfection.
Gabriel Magalhaes performance at centre-back was nearly flawless, the Brazilian stepping up impressively to implement Arsenal s aggressive press, and he dealt with Rashford and Greenwood well on the whole.
The pre-season signing made five tackles and four clearances, while Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny were effective in midfield – the Ghanaian particularly imperious as he completed four tackles and gained possession 11 times, a high for Arsenal.
But while the visitors did well, this is by no means an all-time great Arsenal side and they beat United commandingly, which should have alarm bells ringing at Old Trafford.
Diamonds aren t forever for Solskjaer, who might be best served reverting to United s usual formation even if that means dropping one of his two star midfielders.
7 Manchester United have taken just seven points from their six Premier League games this season, their lowest tally at this stage since David Moyes short stint at the helm in 2013-14 (7); a campaign in which they went on to finish seventh. Stalled.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe)
