A year ago, two of the greatest teams in the history of the game, Real Madrid and Barcelona, found themselves in very similar situations as they sought a new manager to turn around their disappointing starts to the new campaign in 2011.

Manchester United finally fired Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the end of the month after a humiliating 3-0 loss against Watford in the Premier League. Initially, Michael Carrick served as caretaker before Ralf Rangnick was brought in to serve as interim manager until the season's end.

It was already several weeks into Xavi's tenure as Barcelona's head coach, having taken over from Ronald Koeman at the beginning of November to right the ship that had been left in disarray by the former Netherlands manager's departure.

The fact that Barcelona took action before the international break while United had a further two weeks to respond clearly illustrates a significant disparity between the ways in which the two clubs are run, as well as the varying amounts of demands imposed on them. Barcelona:

With the sacking of Koeman, Barcelona was clear about what needed to happen, and they moved quickly to name club star Xavi as their top candidate for the managerial position. It was a massive gamble to place all their faith in their former midfielder, but it appears to be paying off.. However, it was imperative that a decision be made as soon as possible in this situation.

On the other hand, when they finally fired Solskjaer, United appeared to be completely at a loss for what to do and had no plan in place, stumbling their way through the following days and weeks until they finally identified Rangnick as a short-term answer.

Because there is no clear long-term plan in place, it made sense to only give Rangnick the job until the end of the season. However, there is still uncertainty about what his precise role will be at the end of the season, as well as concerns about how much power he will actually have at the club after that.

Barcelona's amazing comeback culminated in a 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid on Sunday, capping up Xavi's first season at the Nou Camp in a manner comparable to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure as interim manager at Old Trafford in 2019. It is possible that he will not prove to be the long-term solution for the club, however it is difficult to overlook the success that the team has achieved as a result of implementing such a clearly defined plan of action.

The club backed the 42-year-old throughout the January transfer window in order to strengthen the positions he desired to strengthen, and they placed their faith in him to carry out his rebuilding plan. This cannot be said for United, where Rangnick was denied permission to sign a holding midfielder during the winter transfer window despite the club's clear need for one. The club cited uncertainty surrounding their next permanent manager as a reason for delaying any major decisions during the transfer window.

It's important to note that Barcelona were able to bring in their No.1 target during the course of the season, whilst United's two main options, Erik ten Hag and Tottenham Hotspur, were both unavailable at the time of their own management change.

However, there is still a clear distinction between the approaches used by the two clubs, with United's lack of clarity and forward planning once again a source of concern ahead of the summer transfer season.

To locate the appropriate management and the ideal players, you need a long-term plan in place. Without a strategy, this is impossible. Until they prove that it doesn't matter who is in charge of the club, they will continue to do so.

In the aftermath of being proactive, Barcelona appears to have turned the corner, whereas United appears to be running around in circles after being reactive.