Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Maurizio Sarri are two managers who have faced their fair share of criticism. Sunday’s early evening encounter between Manchester United and Chelsea saw the pair go head to head at Old Trafford, the match ending in an underwhelming 1-1 draw. A point is suitable to Chelsea, but both sides will struggle to take any positives from the performance itself.

Manchester United and Chelsea Both Have Work to be Done

So Close

This season, both sides are on the verge of success. The dominance of Manchester City and Liverpool is clear. Competitors would do well to achieve anything more than a Champions League position. With just two Premier League matches still to play, United and Chelsea are still within touching distance of the top four.

Their European displays have also been decent ones. The Blues find themselves in the ideal situation of having a fallback. They will expect to progress from their Europa League semi-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt, as either Arsenal or Valencia await them in Baku.

Arsenal’s latest run of three consecutive Premier League defeats will surely make Chelsea favourites to claim victory. A major European trophy along with a top four spot would be a great achievement for Sarri’s opening campaign in English football.

In truth, Champions League qualification is now looking like a big ask for Manchester United. Yet, they are still only three points and eight goals worse off than their latest opponents. Yes, a fifth or sixth place finish would be an underachievement, but perhaps not with some consideration of where they were under Jose Mourinho.

Solskjaer has made a vast improvement on what the Portuguese legend left behind. Not to mention, his side went beyond expectation in defeating the kings of France, Paris Saint-Germain, to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

But So Far

Yet, the fact that we are even referring to Champions League qualification as being something which determines success is an issue in itself. The 20+ point deficit to league leaders Manchester City is, of course, the primary problem. This does not mean there’s nothing more to it than City and Liverpool simply being ‘too good’. Sunday’s fixture displayed that.

Chelsea

Chelsea winning any game this season hasn’t been a given, and there’s clear reason for that. They are too rigid and one-dimensional. Sarri is a stubborn man, set on playing a certain type of football with a particular group of players. It is very easy for the opposition to predict how they will set up.

Too Stubborn?

Jorginho perfectly encapsulates the Italian Boss’ attitude to change. The former Napoli star has been asked to replicate exactly what brought success in the Serie A. However, the fast-paced Premier League has stripped the central midfielder of the time and space on which he used to thrive.

He has struggled to make any impact whatsoever whilst playing this deep-lying role for his new side. Nonetheless, he’s continued to do so. Sarri’s unwillingness to give anyone else an opportunity has forced N’Golo Kante, arguably the best holding midfielder in world football, to play out of position.

Although the Frenchman has given some impressive displays, it’s obvious he’s better suited to a more defensive role. He almost has more influence going forward whilst being further back. It’s a role that allows him to break up the play and kickstart attacks, rather than getting too far up the pitch himself.

Much like most of this season, Jorginho made little to no impact in the latest encounter against Manchester United. His inability to get Chelsea ticking is a major contributor to the lack of creativity in this side. If star man Eden Hazard fails to produce a piece of magic, it’s hard to see where goals are going to come from.

They had to rely on a David de Gea mistake to grab any sort of result in Manchester. Gonzalo Higuaín has been far from prolific since his arrival, another player who appears to be struggling with the pace of the Premier League.

With Hazard’s departure to Real Madrid looking all the more likely, Chelsea are in danger of falling even further behind the league leaders. That is a real possibility if Sarri is unable to recruit players perfectly suited to the style he is adamant on playing.

United

Much like Sarri, Solskjaer will have to make a number of alterations to his squad in the summer. It’s difficult to keep track of all the players linked with leaving the club; Ander Herrera, Paul Pogba, de Gea and Marcus Rashford are just a handful of starters potentially looking to move.

It’s not a great sign when some of your best players are seemingly keen on leaving, especially when there’s already a real lack of quality elsewhere in the squad. You could go so far as to say that at least half the team needs strengthening.

All Round Change

Defence

United have looked flimsy in defence. They’ve lacked truly solid central defenders since the retirements of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have failed to reach their potential, replacing them now looking like the only solution. There are numerous signs that Ashley Young is also way past his best. This combined with Antonio Valencia’s imminent departure seems to suggest that a new right-back will be needed too.

Midfield

Central midfield is arguably one of the few positions in which United aren’t short of ability. There’s no doubting the technical gifts the likes of Pogba, Herrera and Juan Mata posses. In spite of this, all have failed to produce the sort of consistent performances required of them.

Pogba displayed what he is capable of during an impressive spell just as Solskjaer took charge. His accumulation of 13 goals and nine assists deemed him worthy of making the Premier League Team of the Year.

Whether it’s related to attitude problems or not, we certainly haven’t seen this sort of performance anywhere near enough. Rumours involving all three of these players make central midfield another position Solskjaer will likely have to enhance in the transfer window.

Attack

Rashford is the only attacking player who has somewhat produced any sort of consistency. Playing through the middle is his favoured position but he’s often been moved wide, allowing Romelu Lukaku to be the main man. The big Belgian is powerful, but his ability to hold up play is still lacking.

With this supposedly being his greatest asset, it’s difficult to see what Lukaku offers. He and Anthony Martial have failed to hit top form despite being given endless opportunities. Wingers or a new striker to play alongside Rashford may also be required in the summer.

A Long Way to Go

The sheer number of changes Solskjaer is going to have to make highlight the magnitude of the task he faces. It’s a challenge which is going to take time. Closing the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool isn’t something that fans can expect to happen any time soon, for either Manchester United or Chelsea.

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