Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Excessive Reliance on Bruno Fernandes Will Only Continue to Hamper Man Utd

Manchester United finally met their match on Tuesday night, losing 3-2 to RB Leipzig to be dumped out of the Champions League.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side cannot say they were unlucky to lose in Germany. After all, they were the second best team on the pitch for 80 minutes. The Red Devils have also been rather fortunate to win their past two Premier League matches, coming from behind to beat Southampton and West Ham. They had Bruno Fernandes to thank for bailing them out of trouble then.

In the wake of a worrying defeat, the big concern for United and Solskjaer is that, beyond giving the ball to Fernandes and hoping he weaves his customary magic, they lack a tactical alternative.

The reliance on Bruno Fernandes will present problems down the line for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer / Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

The Portuguese international once again proved his worth to United, doing all he could to drag them out of the mud in an attempt to secure a dramatic draw after trailing 3-0 with 21 minutes remaining.

After riding their luck to win when they trailed against Southampton and West Ham, United were found out by a ruthless and relentless Leipzig team who looked more determined than their opponents from minute one.

Worryingly, this is not a new problem.

Manchester United have been struggled to start games well in recent weeks / ADAM DAVY/Getty Images

United have gone behind in seven of their last nine matches since they hammered Leipzig 5-0 at the end of October. Of these nine games, United have won five and lost four.

This statistic shows the cracks in Solskjaer's squad have largely been papered over thanks to the excellent performances of Fernandes. Placing great importance on him has worked well for the Norwegian but it has come at the key expense of any recognisable team style being developed.

The fact that Solskjaer has spent almost two years as United manager without stamping his own blueprint on the squad means the club could quickly lose ground in the race to finish in the top four for a second successive season.

Tottenham have surged to the top of the Premier League under the watchful eye of Jose Mourinho / DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Indeed, all of his managerial counterparts have left their mark on their respective teams. Jose Mourinho has turned Tottenham into a lethal counter-attacking machine while Frank Lampard has seemingly put a stop to Chelsea's defensive woes. Even Mikel Arteta, who is going through a rough patch at Arsenal, turned the Gunners' fortunes around towards the end of last season with a switch in strategy. Just don't mention any of their results so far this season.

There is no such evidence of a clear footballing ideology being put into place at Old Trafford. As good as Fernandes has been, with 16 goals and assists from 16 games in 2020/21, the burden placed on him has negatively impacted the form of those around him.

Anthony Martial is yet to open his account in the Premier League after racking up 17 goals last term. Fellow forward Mason Greenwood has also failed to kick on. After putting in some excellent performances during Project Restart, the 19-year-old has scored just once in the current campaign.

It has been difficult to predict which version of the Red Devils will show up, such is their inconsistency / DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Perhaps the biggest issue with United's dependence on Fernandes is that it affects the team's ability to gel cohesively and consistently. If other players are preoccupied with getting the ball to Fernandes and his position on the pitch, they are less likely to be focused on making forward runs themselves to offer another option.

This partially explains why the Red Devils have been so out of shape to begin games.

With everyone, the manager included, hell-bent on getting the ball to Bruno, United's structure has vanished. They got away with it against Southampton and West Ham, who eased off in attempting to protect a lead, but were duly punished at the Red Bull Arena.

Manchester City have started to look like their old selves ahead of the Manchester derby / Pool/Getty Images

If they continue in the same vain throughout the Manchester derby on Saturday, United will be picked apart by a City team who are hitting their stride again, having scored seven goals in their last two matches.

Champions League elimination will be a massive disappointment for the club. Now, it is up to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to see if he can cure the inconsistency that has plagued his team's performances in recent weeks. Otherwise, ominous signs will begin to mount for United.