Ole Gunnar Solskjaer almost pays the price for baffling Manchester United team selection in Belgium
In the end Manchester United just about got away with it. So did Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
It could have been so much worse – and that would have left the United manager with serious questions to answer.
Club Brugge so nearly made him pay for rocking up without Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred and Bruno Fernandes.
In all, he made six changes from the side that beat Chelsea on Monday and it showed.
And for a man who is so desperate to instil some consistency in his side, he’s not doing himself any favours.
Remember, this is already a team that is missing the injured Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba. So to remove his best defender this season in Wan-Bissaka, most consistent midfielder available in Fred and star signing Fernandes, was asking for trouble.
And United got it as Emmanuel Dennis ran them ragged in the first half – scoring one and forcing another close range save from Sergio Romero.
Solskjaer could do a lot worse than give the Nigerian a closer look between now and the end of the season as he looks for an alternative to Erling Braut Haaland, who United missed out on in January.
As it was, it was his current striker Anthony Martial rescued United – earning them a 1-1 draw and a potentially crucial away goal in this Europa League round of 32 tie.
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That was perhaps reward for deciding not to add the Frenchman to list of players rested on the night.
“We needed to make everyone part of the squad,” said Solskjaer. “We’ve got so many games now. We got an away goal, got a draw, we go home next week and hopefully we can finish the job.
“Of course a Monday night game and Thursday is less recovery and a game on Sunday. We’ve got to think about the bigger picture.”
That may be the case, but his team selection in Belgium raised questions as to where this competition figures in his priorities.
The Europa League represents a very real route back to the Champions League. It is also one of just two chances remaining to end his first full season in charge with some silverware.
So to take such a gamble was a peculiar move. Perhaps this will prove to be the wake up he needed.
A gimme of a group meant he could afford to blood United’s emerging crop of talent – but this is the business end of the competition.
Bruges scored twice at the Bernabeu – Dennis with both goals – and it took an 85th-minute strike from Casemiro to salvage a draw for Real Madrid.
That should be enough to tell Solskjaer they provide a real threat at Old Trafford next week.
It should also have made him think twice before making such a raft of changes for the first leg.
It was notable the difference the introduction of Fred and Fernandes made to a United side who were so sloppy in possession.
Fred immediately tightened up their use of the ball.
Fernandes’ drive and goal threat instantly added a fear factor.
It’s safe to assume both will be back in the starting line-up for the second leg – Wan-Bissaka too.
If not, it might just tell us everything we need to know about how much Solskjaer really wants to win this competition.
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