When Manchester United visit Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, a win alone is enough to exact revenge for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Kristiansundern believes the humiliation suffered by arch-rival Liverpool last weekend will remain a dark moment in the club’s history.
– I am responsible and my job is to correct it. We need a reaction. We can’t perform like this again. I’ve told you a hundred times, nothing turns into history as quickly as a football match and you have to look ahead. But this match is a dark moment and it will be in the history books for a long time, so it is very important that we learn from it, correct things and make sure we are ready for the next match, says Solskjaer. Friday at the press conference.
Among those in attendance at Old Trafford on Sunday was Manchester-based journalist Charlotte Doncker. She is a reporter for Manchester United for Goal and travels on land and shore to cover the Red Devils.
Dunker believes the lack of an alternative is the reason Solskjær steered the ship against Spurs.
Every time they fire a manager, they wish they had a plan ready. Even though they were seriously considering firing him, something I think they were talking about, no one can take over at the moment. Now they have a coach when they meet Spurs this weekend and they still think he can turn things around. It remains to be seen if he manages it. It will be interesting in the next few weeks, because there are three big games coming before the national team break, she tells TV 2.
Towards Solskjær: – Don’t buy it
Recognize the meeting of the board of directors
On Monday, several British media outlets, including local newspaper Manchester Evening News, reported that United’s board of directors was assessing the Norwegian’s future.
It is not known if that will be the case, but Solskjaer himself admits he spoke to management earlier this week.
– Of course I spoke to the board of directors and I do not expect them to give me any insurance. When you have a number like the one we have, that’s not what I’m asking for. My job is to fix things and that’s what I’m trying to do. He points out that I’m not here to ask for insurance.
Last Sunday, Liverpool supporters were heard singing “Ole’s at the Wheel” at the 0-5 position for a gang from Merseyside. The song has also been sung by Leeds and Manchester City fans among others. Solskjaer doesn’t seem to care much about this.
When do Leeds, City and Liverpool supporters sing? I never think I have been influenced by opponents fans, whether as a player, coach or coach, he answers firmly.
But while fans of other teams don’t seem to be impressing the 48-year-old, he readily admits that the week has not been an easy one.
– It’s been a very difficult week. I had no trouble sleeping. I slept well, but it was a tough week. But he stresses that the work done by the support team and the players this week has been very good.
Strikes back: – pure lie
Don’t think victory is enough
Many now expect Solskjær to be evaluated on a continuous basis until the end of the national team in November. Before that time, United will face Tottenham, Atalanta and Manchester City. Goal Duncker doesn’t necessarily think three wins are enough for Solskjær to retain the job.
– They can travel to Tottenham and win 1-0 after a penalty kick. Does this mean he is the right man to get rid of the mess they are in? Who knows, unless they make offers that prove it, as the players show that they agree with what they have been told. I’m not sure if three good results are enough to keep him in the job, she says and adds:
– It might give him more time to change, but I think they have to put in a really good performance, as well as good results. Honestly, we haven’t seen her from United since the opening weekend of the season.
However, Dunker does not believe Solskjaer will be fired on Sunday, regardless of the outcome against White Lily of North London.
– From what we know, he sticks to the job. The tone is about to change, so with another loss this weekend, these conversations will continue and the pressure will increase. We can almost wait to see if that means he lost his job on Sunday and they’re flying to Italy without a manager. I doubt that will be the case, but it’s football. She notes that although it’s a cliché, anything can happen this weekend.
– What are the three doing?
You searched the options
Solskjær himself says frankly that he experienced many changes in pursuit of better performance. Normally, Kristiansund had better matches in the coach’s chair at Old Trafford as the team played 4-2-3-1, but this season they have differed a lot.
You think about it all the time, you think about tactical changes. We’ve played in a way in the last two seasons, which we’ve tried to develop and get better at. You get criticized when you play with two defensive midfielders, something that we have been criticized a lot for. This season we have tried to free up one midfielder to join him in the future, perhaps leaving the defenders farther on the field. Solskjaer explains that with more players behind the ball we’ve left more counter-attacks and become more open, and goes on to say they’re back to the usual 4-2-3-1 against Liverpool last weekend.
– We’ve tried a few matches, but we thought we might be too open, so we went back to Scott and Fred on Sunday, but until then we were very open. One could not hide from the fact that we were very open, but sometimes we had to move. We started poorly and chased after the match, it’s not easy. We have tried to correct the bad beginnings. The short answer is that we, of course, looked at different alternatives, he says.
Dunker believes that Solskjær’s inability to instill a clear style of play may be what ends up upending the architecture of Norwegian in the Theater of Dreams.
It may be that he’s made three miracle results out of his hat and we’re still talking about him as United coach at Christmas time, but if you look at the performance of other big teams like Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United are miles away currently. Three results in the next week won’t change that. What’s on the line now is whether the board believes Solskjær can make that difference. I think it showed he couldn’t do it, and then the question is where do they take it from there, she says.
Missing Pogba: – Blessing
Hints about changes
The Manchester United reporter is one of many who are now calling for major changes to the squad. Solskjaer scored the same goal in the eleven matches against both Atalanta and Liverpool.
The biggest decision he has to make is the team he picks, because he has to make some big decisions. There was talk of Ronaldo getting into a team turmoil and that they weren’t playing well with him on the pitch, but he was brought down once and everyone said he shouldn’t. Bruno Fernandes hasn’t started well this season and the defender doesn’t know how to defend himself, so who in the world should he choose? , asks Dunker wondering, before continuing:
Those who sat on the bench are desperate to play, and at the same time unhappy with not playing, so the question is whether or not he should pick players who are unhappy with him this season. He’s in a situation where he has to pick a team that goes out to the field and wins, and based on performance, he can’t really pick the team that started the last two games.
One who has been heavily criticized for his performance this season is Captain Harry Maguire. When asked if it was “impossible” to smash a giant stopper in a junior student, Solskjær answered the following:
– I must be careful, to what address will he come now? “Ole is ready to drop Harry.” In a team like ours, with highly qualified players, everyone expects to play. I expect everyone to play, but they know they have good teammates around them. No one is guaranteed a place in the team, of course not. It’s up to me to pick the right team for the matches, and see who they will be mentally as on Saturday and Tuesday in the Champions League.
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