Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjae Photo: VCG

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer blew out the candles on his 100th game in charge at the club with a 1-0 loss to Arsenal at Old Trafford.

This was their fourth home game of the English Premier League's 2020-21 season and the defeat ensured they are winless so far at home.

Defeat also equaled an unwelcome record. It is the first time that the club have failed to win any of their opening four top-flight games at Old Trafford since 1972-73, a campaign in which they finished 18th.

That season ended in relegation to the old Second Division.

No one is suggesting that the club are in danger of going down, but the result leaves them 15th and nine points off champions and league leaders Liverpool.

The players know this is not good enough - with a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace and a 6-1 defeat to Spurs.

"Defensively we didn't start in the best shape against Crystal Palace - we were too open," club captain Harry Maguire said ahead of the midweek UEFA Champions League visit to Istanbul Baskshehir. 

"Against Tottenham we let ourselves go, especially when we went down to 10 men," Striker Anthony Martial was sent off in that game but it was almost game over at that point.

"To concede six in any game, especially at this club, isn't good enough so we've worked hard on that since we've come back from the international break."

Stop-start progress

United beat Newcastle 4-1 away, followed by a 2-1 win over Champions League runners-up PSG. They then drew 0-0 with Chelsea in the league before beating last season's Champions League semifinalists RB Leipzig 5-0 at Old Trafford ahead of the loss to Arsenal.

This stop-start progress has been the subject of fan fury, with pundits apoplectic too. Former United captain Roy Keane - a teammate of Solskjaer at Old Trafford - pulled no punches after the Arsenal defeat.

"Ole will lose his job working with these players," he told Sky Sports in his role as a pundit on the loss, "that's what is going to happen.

"We were talking about have they turned the corner - it's the longest corner ever."

Keane slammed the character of the players in the defeat, "I don't see men you want to be in the trenches with, guys you trust, God help us." 

"On top of all, a lack of energy, enthusiasm ... they really lack quality. That really concerned me in the second half. They were getting in half-decent positions - no quality, no composure. The performances were really poor. What characters are there in Manchester United? I just don't see any. I'm really worried for United now," he added.

"I think the last year and a half, we give the benefit of the doubt - recruitment, blah, blah, blah ... what's happening upstairs - there's problems. But there's a long way back for this club."

Solksjaer dismissed Keane's precis of what is going wrong in his pre-match comments in Turkey.

"Roy has always been outspoken," he said. "I'm very glad we have the players we've got here. We've got different jobs and Roy's job is to give his opinion and I always listen to Roy. But we always move on with a great group of players and I'm sure we'll see a response."

Maguire, too, took issue with the lack of leadership claimed by Keane, when asked by the media.

"I haven't seen his comments because especially after a negative result we don't bring the negativity into the place," he said. "We stay positive and I can stay for sure that there's a lot of leaders in this squad. I'm the captain and I've got a lot of leadership around me - staff and players."

Struggling at home



The buck ultimately stops with the manager and Solskjaer has taken responsibility thus far but does not know why the team are struggling at home in the league. 

"We weren't at the races," the Norwegian said in the immediate aftermath of the Arsenal defeat. He was unable to put his finger on why.

"I don't think it's a mental thing," Solskjaer added. "Home and away form is out the window with no fans in the stadium.

"You can't look at that. It doesn't really mean too much. We played fantastic on Wednesday [the 5-0 win over RB Leipzig] and now we lose. But we need to get points on the board. Now we need to focus on next week and Everton."

That Everton game will be Solskjaer's 102nd as Manchester United manager, with arguably no previous boss coming under more scrutiny. Each and every game is built up in the press as his last, despite the fact that his record stands up to previous bosses.

Solskjaer has won 55 games, drawn 21 and lost 24 times in his first 100 games. These numbers make him the third best manager in the history of the club.

Only Ernest Magnall and Jose Mourinho - the man he replaced - have done better.

The Portuguese won 62, drew 23 and lost 15 of his first 100 games in charge, while Mangnall won 64, had 23 draws and 13 defeats.

Perhaps the manager from 1903 to 1912 is not the greatest comparison, while Mourinho was let go despite winning the Europa League and EFL Cup double in his first season, then taking the club to the FA Cup final.

Matt Busby (52-27-21) is fourth behind Solskjaer while Louis van Gaal is fifth (52-25-23). Ron Atkinson (51-28-21) is ahead of Alex Ferguson (48-31-21) in seventh place.

The trophy tally is a very different list with ­Solskjaer's former boss Ferguson at the top of the table with 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two Champions League among the haul in his 27 years in charge.

Ferguson only survived in his job after an FA Cup-winning run in 1990, four years into his tenure. The question is whether the Norwegian gets anything like that long to win a first trophy. 
Newspaper headline: Solksjaer’s Century