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"It's not good enough" | Andy Mitten on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Champions League Results

Andy Mitten joined Joe Molloy on Off The Ball to discuss Manchester United's 2-1 loss to Young Bo...



Soccer

"It's not good enough" | Andy Mitten on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Champions League Results

Andy Mitten joined Joe Molloy on Off The Ball to discuss Manchester United's 2-1 loss to Young Boys in the Champions League.

It was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's seventh Champions League loss in 11 games.

While Solskjaer has pointed the finger at the referee, Mitten believes there can be no more excuses.

"It's the first game of six group games. Manchester United have to be coming out of this group. No excuses. And if they don't, that's a major, major issue for Solskjaer and for Manchester United," Mitten said.

"This group isn't as strong as the one from last year with PSG and RB. United have got to get out of this group.

Fans will be angry tonight and understandably so. United have got to start winning and get out of this group. This is the side that Solskjaer has built and he's got to get a tune out of it.”

Solskjaer's record in the Champions League is now significantly worse than that of Jose Mourinho and Louis Van Gaal, his successors. Mourinho and Van Gaal endured six defeats in 20 games.

"It's not good enough.

Manchester United were perenially in the last eight, in the last four, we won the Champions League. We were in three finals in four years between 2008 and 2011. Performances have dropped a long way since then. It's all about results. Manchester United shouldn't be in the Europa League, didn't even win the Europa League last year, Villareal won that.

Solskjaer has got to get a tune out of this team now.

He's picking, he's built this team. United will lose matches, every football team loses matches, but if after six matches the team have not gone out of this group stage and are back in the Europa League or not even in that, then that is a major, major issue.

The sending off tonight, it did switch the game and the plastic pitch is another mitigating factor. But fans quite rightly will not want to hear excuses after six matches if United have not gone through.

And Solskjaer has got to take his responsibility as well and it's not without reason he's being criticized by some fans for his tactical decisions and substitutions tonight in Switzerland."

Mitten stopped short of suggesting that Solskjaer could lose his job if his team don't reach the latter stages of the Champions League. However, the other side of Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival is the heightened expectations that come with him in your team.

Just being in the Champions League is no longer the base level of acceptance for this team. They're expected to qualify for the latter rounds and challenge for the Premier League title too.

THE FOOTBALL SHOW | Andy Mitten and Dermot Gallagher | Man United defeat, Solskjaer under pressure, Referring

You can read Off The Ball's player ratings for the Manchester United players tonight here.

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