It was a strange mood at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon after Manchester United drew 1-1 against Everton.
When Anthony Martial scored the goal to put Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team 1-0 up just before half-time, there was a fan next to me who wasn't afraid to express his concern: "We're lucky that goal went in because United offered nothing going forward."
Indeed, it was a weird performance all-round and the first XI was the starting point of a strange day. No Paul Pogba. No Jadon Sancho. But perhaps the most peculiar omission was Cristiano Ronaldo, who has five goals in just as many appearances since his return to Manchester.
Solskjaer himself came out after the match and defended his decision-making.
"You make decisions throughout a long, long season and you've got to manage the players' workload," he said. "And the decision was, for me, the correct one today.
"Anthony Martial did well, scored a good goal, Edinson [Cavani] needed minutes, he got an hour, could have had a goal, a great cross and a great chance for him, we have to make those decisions sometimes."
Although Martial did go on and eventually score United's only goal in the game, if you assess the performance as a whole, they lacked creativity. Edinson Cavani looked starved of any help in the striker role and this was supported by the fact that just six shots were registered on target by Solskjaer's team.
It also makes you wonder why Ronaldo was rested when the international break is just around the corner. Portugal have games against Qatar and Luxembourg. Did he really need a rest with those two matches coming up? It's not like they're the best teams in the world.
Then there was the Paul Pogba issue. United needed someone in the middle who was more creative. Even if it wasn't Pogba, someone who would transition the ball forward could have made the difference. Donny van de Beek would've been perfect for the match, but his career looks up in the air at the moment.
Bruno Fernandes was playing more like a false nine and was taking up positions in the 18-yard box rather than the edge of the area. To his sheer brilliance, he still got an assist, but it feels like he isn't being used to the best of his abilities.
As the second half drew to a close, supporters came away from the match feeling United got away with one, again. Had Tom Davies shot instead of squaring the ball to Yerry Mina, Everton would've taken the three points back down the M62.
Some fans even had their heads turned after the game. "I see no direction, no identity. He will get the sack if this keeps happening," someone said to me at full-time.
Solskjaer has to be extremely careful here. He definitely would've seen what happened to the likes of Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho when things weren't going their way. When the football is dire, the Old Trafford crowd won't put up with it.
At the moment, it's one of the worst ruts Solskjaer has been in since he was appointed as United manager. Some may point to last season after the abysmal start in the Premier League and 2-1 defeat to İstanbul Başakşehir as a low point, but this feels different. The Norwegian has one of the best teams in Europe, with talent capable of challenging for major trophies. At the moment, they look far off the pace. Two wins from six just isn't good enough.
When Solskjaer made his comments about Donny van de Beek in the pre-match conference to the game, it felt like fans had been here before. A manager having to justify his decision making.
But it's important United's coach doesn't fall into a trap. Whilst he understood the frustration of van de Beek, he went on to say that he can't have "any sulkers" at the club. Although this may be true, it had a 'Mourinho-esque' feel to it. Once you tread on the thin line of criticism towards players, that's when problems arise in the dressing room.
I wouldn't say Solskjaer explicitly criticised his player, far from it, but he just needs to ensure he isn't singling out people. It's a collective responsibility, as he's always maintained during his time in the hot seat.
He's done such a good job up until this point, but for the first time in a while, some supporters are starting to have doubts. Can he guide United to silverware? That remains to be seen. Hopefully, he can.
It's never right to call for someone to be sacked and it's vital the fans get behind the team and manager. But Solskjaer's reign is at a crossroads at the moment. I want him to stay, but he has to change something and get the team playing in what is a massive October/November period.
If he doesn't, then the road ahead isn't looking bright.
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