Premier League midseason report card: Manchester United

What grade do Manchester United get for their performances during the first half of the 2018-19 Premier League season?

Manchester United hope things can only get better after ditching Jose Mourinho. He’s been replaced by former Red Devils striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The man who scored the winner for United in the 1999 Champions League final has a clear remit. He needs to rescue a club floundering outside the top four having lost its identity on Mourinho’s watch.

Solskjaer also needs to restore the Reds’ traditions of expansive, attacking soccer. Fortunately, he’s inherited enough talent in forward areas to make it happen.

The Good

There hasn’t been a lot good about the way an expensive squad has floundered since August. Any silver lining for Solskjaer comes from an array of gifted forwards.

Goals won’t be a problem if Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku are given greater freedom to express themselves. Finding the net wasn’t much of an issue under Mourinho, at least during the first half of this campaign.

United scored twice in draws against Chelsea and Arsenal. They also put four past Fulham and netted three times against Newcastle.

Forming the right combinations up top was a problem for Mourinho, but there is no doubting the ability of those he’s left behind. Solskjaer will strike it rich if he identifies ways to include creative duo Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata in support of Lukaku and Co.

Getting Alexis Sanchez back on track should also be a priority for the caretaker boss. Sanchez has been an epic flop since arriving from Arsenal back in January but can change any game when on form.

Solskjaer is also being tasked with reaffirming United’s historic commitment to giving young players a chance. He’ll be thankful Mourinho has left behind a precocious talent in the form of 19-year-old right-back Diogo Dalot.

The player signed from Porto in the summer has already earned rave reviews for his engine, deadly distribution and impressive recovery pace.

There is enough quality in attacking areas to believe Solskjaer can quickly get United back into the thick of the top-four race.

The Bad

A vulnerable defense is as responsible for United’s struggles as misfiring big names like Sanchez, Lukaku and Paul Pogba. Mourinho went though more defensive combinations than days in the week but no formula yielded solidity for long.

Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham are among those to score three times against United this season. Brighton, hardly a renowned attacking powerhouse, also managed to do the same, as did West Ham.

Meanwhile, Arsenal, Chelsea and Southampton each netted two goals apiece against the Red Devils. Even Championship side Derby County managed a brace en route to eliminating United from the Carabao Cup at Old Trafford.

Just like in attack, there are plenty of numbers in defense. United ought to be able to form one competent center-back pairing from Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof.

Luke Shaw, Ashley Young, Antonio Valencia and Dalot ensure there’s ample resources at full-back.

Giving whoever plays in defense enough protection has also been a problem. It hasn’t helped Nemanja Matic has regressed in the holding role since swapping Chelsea for United.

He represents a tricky dilemma as the only natural defensive midfielder in the squad. Ander Herrera and disappointing summer import Fred are among those who need to be let off the leash more than they were under Mourinho.

Whatever happens at the base of midfield, United’s strength in the middle will be determined by Pogba. It’s a mild understatement to say the Frenchman was rarely happy with Mourinho in charge.

His unhappiness manifested in a series of slack performances defined by misplaced passes and a sluggish approach to tracking back.

Yet even while playing for a manager he didn’t like, within tactics designed to negate rather than create, Pogba still showcased his value to United:

Pogba hasn’t even approached good so far this season, but United’s success under Solskjaer hinges on his form moving forward.

What’s Next?

Many players will produce more now Mourinho has gone. You can count Martial and Pogba in the list, even if it’s risky predicting anything with certainty about a player as mercurial as the latter.

The bigger question is whether Solskjaer can salvage a season gone so wrong during its first half. A top-four finish would qualify as success in this context, but Solskjaer was last seen in England overseeing Cardiff’s relegation in 2014.

It’s hardly ideal preparation for the scale of the task in front of him.

He’s being asked to get a number of players excited about playing again.

Then there’s the not-so small challenge of fortifying a defense still suspect even after a number of signings.

Still, it’s easy to believe simply easing the tension that existed around the squad during Mourinho’s final days will prompt a subtle yet significant change for the better.

Grade: D

United have faltered in every meaningful area and lacked coherence and fight in the big games. Mourinho’s exit means there’s hope again, but these remain uncertain and worrying times for the red half of Manchester.