Almost three years into the Solskjaer era, it is still not entirely clear what the formula is

United have lost seven Champions League games under Solskjær and it is still not entirely clear what his formula is

Manchester United's Norwegian manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gestures at the end of the UEFA Champions League Group F football match between Young Boys and Manchester United at Wankdorf stadium in Bern, on September 14, 2021. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

With about 10 minutes to go at the Wankdorf Stadion, there was sudden uproar on the Manchester United bench. The referee, François Letexier, had failed to spot a foul on Paul Pogba and on the touchline Ole Gunnar Solskjær was joined by Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo, wildly gesticulating with all the righteous indignation of men who had put their 50p on the edge of the pool table and were now watching somebody else rack up the balls.

If ever there were a fitting motif for United’s surprise 2-1 defeat by Young Boys, perhaps this was it: United’s manager and perhaps their two most celebrated players fuming on the sidelines, unable to influence a thing. Instead, it was Jesse Lingard and Jordan Siebatcheu who would make the decisive contributions, the former with his shocking backpass, the latter with his grateful finish in the fifth minute of injury time.