Another derby, and another Manchester United victory.
For a man who led Cardiff to relegation, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer surprisingly appears to have the number of serial trophy winner, Pep Guardiola. Funny how football works.
And on Sunday afternoon, the Red Devils were imperious from start to finish, executing their game-plan to perfection. Lining up in a 5-3-2 formation with Bruno Fernandes in behind Anthony Martial and Daniel James, United were clinical when needed, and barely gave City a sniff.
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As per Sofascore, despite Guardiola’s side having a staggering 73% of the ball, they could only manage four shots on target – two less than what United registered. But whilst Solskjaer’s pre-match plan was vindicated by the result, James in particular, continued to frustrate.
After enjoying a blistering start to the season for his new club – he scored three goals in his opening four Premier League games – the Welshman has gone without finding the back of the net in the top-flight since.
And against City, his performance certainly had a sense of deja vu to it. So much promise, but very little substance. Once again, he showed on numerous occasions that his pace continues to be a terrifying weapon for opposition defenders, but equally, his end product leaves little to be scared of.
He provided no key passes whatsoever, made just eight passes in total over the course of the 90 minutes, and failed to accurately deliver a single cross either. At one point, in what looked like a devastating United break-away, James chose to take the shot from a tight angle rather than showing the awareness to pick out an onrushing Fernandes. Both the Portuguese star’s and Solskjaer’s reaction of frustrating disbelief said it all.
Because his speed offers such a different dimension to what United have in their locker right now, Solskjaer will no doubt find it difficult leaving him out of the team. But James’ tendency to repeat the same mistakes, and not improve his end product, will surely be leaving the Norwegian to tear his hair out.
Meanwhile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must make this tough decision regarding a key star.