Ole Gunnar Solskjaer jokingly admitted it feels like 'he commits a crime' every time he picks a Manchester United line up.
And, after the midweek draw with Atalanta, he has once again been seemingly placed in the docks to face a jury of frustrated supporters.
With the benefit of hindsight it is always easy to find fault with a side that has failed to reach expectations on the pitch, but no matter who is wearing the famous red of United, certain standards need to be kept.
A colossal encounter against Man City this weekend will once again shine intense scrutiny on Solskjaer and his team selection, as the manager prepares for another pivotal fixture which could well define his immediate future at Old Trafford.
After the embarrassing defeat to Liverpool, the jury is still out on the Norwegian given victory over a terrible Tottenham was followed by their own sacking of a manager; while the midweek draw with Atalanta would have been fine in isolation but was instead a reflection of the consistent issues which have plagued them so far in the new campaign.
Given there is so much at stake on Saturday lunchtime it will once again be crucial for Solskjaer to get his team right, though he is now faced with an uncomfortable truth — that the players he trusts the most are among those who have been the most disappointing in recent weeks.
Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw both reached the heights of world-class status for their form earlier this calendar year, which reached the summit with stellar showings at the European Championship. But they now both look shells of their former selves with a string of underwhelming outings so far this campaign.
It is understandable that a player can experience a drop in form but it is rare to see performances plummet quite so much as they have done for the English duo.
And yet they are both still stubbornly backed by the manager who views Maguire and Shaw among his undroppables.
The club captain's stock arguably reached a new low with his lacklustre showing against Atalanta in midweek and ahead of a massive weekend match against City it is not ridiculous to suggest Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly should all be starting ahead of him based on recent form.
Injuries to Varane and Lindelof could see Maguire selected by default when the team news is confirmed late on Saturday morning, but even with them fit it is hard to see Solskjaer ever losing faith in his first marquee signing — the player who he quickly appointed captain as soon as he got the chance.
Yet by the manager's own recent warning, it might be time for him to change his stance on Maguire and Shaw given that they simply haven't been good enough lately, whether that be down to a drop in standards or their own Euro 2020 hangover after such a gruelling calendar year of near non-stop football.
“It’s the team before any individual," Solskjaer stated at his press conference on Monday.
The ultimate test of such a philosophy would come by biting his tongue and dropping either of his England international defenders after their recent wretched form.
This weekend's team selection could well prove crucial in determining the manager's position for the rest of the calendar year, we're about to find out just how much he really does trust his struggling stars.
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