“The pressure he is on now is simply intolerable”. That was the explanation given by former captain and now TV pundit, Gary Neville, after the embarrassing defeat to fellow title chasers Liverpool yesterday at Old Trafford.
If the manager’s job was not on the line before, it is now, definitely. And with an even tougher round of fixtures coming up that includes reigning champions Manchester City and Chelsea, nobody is envying the position of the manager right now. They fear the worst is still yet to come for both the manager and the fans.
Top journalists around the world even before the permanent signing of Ole were of the opinion that he should not be given the team permanently after he stepped in temporarily due to Jose Mourinhos exit, names were already in circulation of top managers across Europe with a better pedigree and success record both in England and elsewhere whom they felt were better suited to handle the team.
Since the horror show ended last night, those names have resurfaced again as they expect the board to take the decision the fans have been crying for; sack him (Ole) and get a more experienced manager to deliver the goods.
Below are the top 3 on the list.
Antonio Conte
He seems to fit in and ticks all the boxes for a what a team so desperate to win silver ware need. While at Chelsea, he won the EPL before he was sacked surprisingly by the iron fisted Abrahamovich led board.
He went back to his native country and took over the helms at Inter Milan, he was able to end the monopoly Juventus had on the Italian Scudetto by winning it. Even though difference in transfer dealings led to an early exit from the Milan team, one thing was evident; he has a winning mentality and this makes him to win wherever he goes. He is currently free and available.
If there is any team with the desire to win something now, it has to be Manchester United. They have spent so much over the past couple of years and the team is still in tatters. Will they be placing a call to the Italian anytime soon?
Zinedine Zidane
Zizou had a trophy laden history as manager of one of the best football clubs in the world; Real Madrid. He won multiple Laliga titles and the UCL too. Is he a winner? Oh yes he is.
When Manchester United bought one of his most trusted defenders in the summer, Varane, most thought it was the first puzzle of enticing Zidane to the red half of Manchester. Will that be enough to convince him to come over to England?
He went back to Madrid after they had a rough spell for his second stinct, and he was able to exert his influence and turned them to title winners from a difficult position at the expense of Messi and co. He surely knows his onions and that is exactly what Manchester United need right now. If they want an instant uplift even before the end of the season then ZiZou is your man.
Brendan Rodgers
This man has already led his team Leicester City to a convincing win over Manchester United this season. His team beat them 4-2 to add his own quota to the misery Ole is currently facing.
Leicester City is gradually cementing itself as a top 6 team in England and its all thanks to the brilliance of this Northern Irish man.
He has a knack for building strong teams wherever he goes and with a modest transfer budget, he has been able to transform average unknown players to top quality within a short period of time.
With Manchester United, he would have a bigger stronger war chest to bring in talents and aim at the EPL finally and not just the European spots anymore.
With the board consider him as the long term solution? For now they are still keeping faith with Ole, but with each passing week, that line of faith gets thinner and thinner.
