Marcus Rashford, a former Manchester United player who was transferred to Barcelona, recently shared in an interview that he felt the club was stuck in no man’s land.
It’s easy to dismiss criticism from a player who grew up at the club and was eventually forced out by the latest in the string of managers he’s played under. But there was truth in what he said.
The real issue he pointed to is one of instability. Managers have been cycled in and out so quickly that none have been given the 4–5 years typically needed to mould a team in their philosophy. No manager in the past decade has lasted longer than three years.
In retrospect, the club lurched from one short-term and ill thought out managerial decision to the next.
That’s why Rashford’s point resonates.
Too much change creates chaos and prevents long-term progress.
Too little change – especially when results are consistently poor with no line of sight to improvement – is equally ruinous.
Sustainable success, whether in football or in organizations, lies in knowing when to persist and when to pivot.
As always, the magic is in balance.
