Manchester United and Chelsea have taken just five points from their opening four Premier League games
Monday 2 September 2019 07:57, UK
Should Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Frank Lampard get a free pass this season? Or are their jobs on the line? The Sunday Supplement panel discuss.
Manchester United stumbled to a 1-1 draw against 10-man Southampton on Saturday which followed on from their 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace, while Chelsea threw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Sheffield United, meaning Lampard is yet to pick up a win at Stamford Bridge since returning to the club as manager.
For United, it is their worst points haul from the opening four games of a campaign for 27 seasons and Solskjaer's emphasis on blooding youth into the first team is likely to require patience.
The same philosophy is being adopted by Lampard and Chelsea seem to be lacking in defensive cohesion having conceded 10 goals in their four matches.
Both managers are still getting their feet under the table in their new jobs, but are they immune from the axe this season?
The Sunday Supplement panel discuss....
Matt Law (Daily Telegraph) on Chelsea: "I think it's what a lot of us thought it would be - it's very much a work in progress. In terms of everything; the young players, in terms of Lampard himself as manager of Chelsea. He'd be honest enough to say that. They play some nice stuff, they're playing a really good 45 minutes here, a really good 60 minutes there. But they're really vulnerable as well.
"At the moment, you don't know what you're going to get with them. You turn up to games and they could get beaten by anyone, yet they will blow a team away at some point, because it'll come together. It's going to take a lot of patience at Stamford Bridge.
"They're going to be inconsistent and they're going to be hot and cold in matches and through periods of the season. They've got a tough period coming up after the international break; Wolves, Valencia and then Liverpool - it's not getting any easier. But there is certainly cause for optimism.
"Tammy Abraham's doing well, Mason Mount is doing really well, they are playing some nice football. Weirdly, given they have won one game out of four, there is a nice atmosphere about the place, which got very toxic last year. But for that to last, it's going to take a lot of patience.
"The difference between Chelsea and Manchester United is Lampard can't sign players. You have to give him time because you can't bring anyone into the squad. Solskjaer, they've spent the world-record fee on a defender, they've spent a lot of money and you've got to get some results on that. You can't give the guy a free pass with the amount of money they've given him."
Simon Mullock (Sunday Mirror) on Manchester United: "I think it has to be [the same as Chelsea], certainly this season, as it is Solskjaer's first season in charge.
"I think after what's gone on since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, that's what United have to do. They've got to bite the bullet and allow a manager to remould and rebuild the team. Because United have lost their identity and Solskjaer is trying to get that back. The problem they've got at the moment is they're a bit of a one-trick pony. They can be a lethal counter-attacking team, the problem is when they're challenged to break a team down.
"They play some nice football, the problem is they can't put in a 90-minute performance at the moment. As far as Solskjaer is concerned, they're now at the point where they've allowed him to begin the job. They've got to give him at least a year, if not two, to try and finish it. I think Solskjaer is under that impression as well, that he has been given a big task and I think he believes he'll be given the time to see them through."
