Ole Gunnar Solskjær | 2021/22 Discussion

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lysglimt

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Bar Zaha, the rest of these players did absolutely nothing significant after leaving United. LVG did no wrong selling any players here. He did bought poorly though.

But it's right that we looked pretty clueless under him against midtable and inferior clubs. We used to keep possession and play sideways and back passes for the majority of the game not creating anything while the opposition hunts us on counters. On big games though most of times we delivered.
I am not saying they are great players - but Evans/Keane both are good enough to play regularly for United. Rafael would have been a regular for us until this season (if he could stay fit) But the main problem was that we sold them way too cheaply simply because LvG didn't like them.
 

el3mel

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I am not saying they are great players - but Evans/Keane both are good enough to play regularly for United. Rafael would have been a regular for us until this season (if he could stay fit) But the main problem was that we sold them way too cheaply simply because LvG didn't like them.
Rafael had become very injury prone by the time he left, used to start the season well, get injured earlier than spend the season from setback to another. It affected his consistency. Of course, he was great in the last season he won the league but after that his career stalled and regressed. Valencia was doing pretty well in RB position up till last season and in 2016/2017 he was one of our best players, so I actually don't think we missed him that much.

Do you mean Will Keane the striker? Or Keane the defender? Probably the defender. We were linked to him again 2 years ago and I don't think many wanted him again. Decent, but hardly better than say Smalling (whom I myself thinknof as a good squad option but not starting material).

My opinion on Evans is kinda contraversial but I think he's kinda overrated.

I honestly believe almost every player sold by LVG was sold at the perfect time and run their course here and was time to move on. The main problem is his buying was pretty bad and replaced them with other set of deadwood that needed replacing itself.
 

Judge Red

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The players are beginning to look happy and interested again. At this point that’s all you can hope for from this club.
 

romufc

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You have Liverpool and Arsenal 2nd XIs facing off in a 10 goal game. How are they able to play attacking football yet our almost first XI can't.
Have you seen the goals?

I suggest you go watch the goals again before making a comment like that.

Arsenal's goals didn't come from great attacking play like you seem to think.
 

Mainoldo

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Well, he probably could, but it would not work very well. His downfall here was ultimately a result of his poor recruitment and forcing his style on a group of players that was not fit for purpose. Same with Sarri and to some extent Wenger, who was clearly capable of getting a team to play according to their image in a very defined "style", but that did not mean they were always amazing, far from it.

The challenge in trying to play a possession based system is that you need a squad that is technically adept in tight spaces, is great at short passing and is well drilled and know each other really well. Right now we only have Martal and Mata that fits that bill, and the latter has lost his legs. Rashford, James, Pogba, McTomminay etc would not look at home in such a system.

The vast majority of managers are reactive rather than boneheaded idealists. Ferguson was that, Jose was/is that and Ole seems to be that. Nothing wrong with adapting your tactics and approach to your opponent. What matters is the scoreline, not your style score
You are talking like we are successful in what he is doing. LVG would be doing a better job now.. we wouldn’t have been in the bottom half of the table.

Plus what do we want as fans.. we keep banging on about this United way but I’m starting to get confused if it’s a culture thing or a style of play. Ole’s style is exactly the same as Mourinho’s but for some reason we seem to be happy. Maybe it’s the Mourinho effect all over where we are hoping he will changed his style. He won’t change this is him.
 

midnightmare

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You are talking like we are successful in what he is doing. LVG would be doing a better job now.. we wouldn’t have been in the bottom half of the table.

Plus what do we want as fans.. we keep banging on about this United way but I’m starting to get confused if it’s a culture thing or a style of play. Ole’s style is exactly the same as Mourinho’s but for some reason we seem to be happy. Maybe it’s the Mourinho effect all over where we are hoping he will changed his style. He won’t change this is him.
I take exception to that statement, to be honest. If the style is so similar, why did Jose take a similar squad (+ Lukaku + Herrera + Fellaini) and manage to botch up pretty much every big match (Big 6 games) he played in? His record in these matches was atrocious. He played virtually every one with the single aim of keeping it to 0-0. We almost never attacked and apart from that bonkers 2-3 derby win, I struggle to remember if Jose ever overturned a deficit in a big game. Pretty certain we didn't win any other away game against the Top 6. Under Jose, we managed barely any counters (CBA looking up stats, but recall people posting several in the immediate aftermath of his sacking). Ole on the other hand has (unless I'm wrong) lost just once each to Arsenal and City - while winning most of his Big 6 encounters (and there have been several).

Also, look at the poll; with 52+% wanting Ole sacked, it's not like we "are happy" with Ole. I won't go into the whole LvG argument (meaningless) but I don't understand this insistence of some people that Ole and Jose ad similar styles.
 

Bobcat

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You are talking like we are successful in what he is doing. LVG would be doing a better job now.. we wouldn’t have been in the bottom half of the table.

Plus what do we want as fans.. we keep banging on about this United way but I’m starting to get confused if it’s a culture thing or a style of play. Ole’s style is exactly the same as Mourinho’s but for some reason we seem to be happy. Maybe it’s the Mourinho effect all over where we are hoping he will changed his style. He won’t change this is him.
You're wumming now right?

LvG butchered what was left of Fergies team, giving away the likes of Nani and Rafael for peanuts while throwing away money on shite like Depay, Falcao and Schneiderlin. I will give him credit for bringing in Herrera and Martial. Those two were great finds, but other than that hes as guilty as anyone for pissing away loads of money while simultaneously weakening our squad. And LvG's "style" was boring as feck. Stupid shite like having to take x number of passes before going for goal and lambasting players (even benching them) for playing on instinct and trying to shot directly. That was what got him sacked and he very much was the architect of his own downfall.

And who cares about style? Right now the important thing is rebuilding the team and getting decent results. I could not give a rats hairy arse about "style" or possession or any of that noise as long as we outscore the other team.
 

Di Maria's angel

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Have you seen the goals?

I suggest you go watch the goals again before making a comment like that.

Arsenal's goals didn't come from great attacking play like you seem to think.
Same as us then and we have people talking about having a style?
 

Rish Sawhney

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Do you also not like the Pep or Klopp mindset of "philosophy"?

I take your point about SAF. But times have moved on from there from what I can see. A manager is first and foremost a coach these days, and we need to move forwards and meet the times rather than go back to the past. I fear well never really be successfully unless we get onboard the progressive football train. Also we were pretty brilliant in possession under SAF and didn't necessarily rely mostly on sitting back and countering. We excelled when we were on the front just as much as those odd occasions when we weren't. And let's not forget how incredible a motivator and manager he was. That is a rare quality.
Yes I don’t like Pep’s obsession with his philosophy. Klopp on the other hand has already shown to be much more adaptable and a lot less ideological. His Liverpool now is a lot less “heavy metal” compared to his Dortmund team and Liverpool in his first couple of years. For example against us they were a lot more measured and not really all about the gegen press.

Pep’s teams are great to watch when he has great players, but when the personnel quality drops his teams become immensely boring like LvG’s as well.
 

romufc

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Same as us then and we have people talking about having a style?
I am not debating our style, only responding to your post about the other teams 2nd string better attack than us.

Arsenal scored a lot of gifted goals that game.

How many goals have we been gifted?
 

Foxbatt

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It was a good game especially in the second half. Chelsea had to come out and attack us and it gives us the space. I know Rashford had a brilliant free kick but I am still disappointed as at this level you cannot afford to lose the ball like he did last night. It is also not possible to take on so many players too. I think the midfield played well and if we can get someone to replace Matic, then we can release McTominay to do his best as he is a box to box midfield player.
I hope he can get it right and playing two up front together would be better. I also think Rojo is a better bet than Lindelof as though he is a bit of a nutter you need that kind of brutality in a CB. Lindelof gets bullied off the ball too easily.
 

Dinghy

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Apparently he's tactically clueless, while the "people's favorite" Pochettino is way better with his 3 wins in about 30 away games against the top 6.

Hilarious.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Yes I don’t like Pep’s obsession with his philosophy. Klopp on the other hand has already shown to be much more adaptable and a lot less ideological. His Liverpool now is a lot less “heavy metal” compared to his Dortmund team and Liverpool in his first couple of years. For example against us they were a lot more measured and not really all about the gegen press.

Pep’s teams are great to watch when he has great players, but when the personnel quality drops his teams become immensely boring like LvG’s as well.
Neither manager refused to instil a focus on quality on the ball, possession retention, strong midfield play etc until one year after their appointment, which is the point. Ole is the only supposedly quality manager who is so maleable and adaptable, that his team doesn't have strong identity and it's looked ad a positive and something he's only deferring out of necessity rather than actually being unable to get it done.

Also, Pep isn't always the same. His Barcelona team was proper tiki taka. His City one focus much more on fast attacks down the wing and overloads out wide. Liverpool started with gegenpressing and now are mostly a possession based team. However both managers have put in strong basics in their team when it comes to retaining the ball, movement, intensity, cohesion, possession etc. and from thereon tweaks are simpler. It's different to not having a plan or not having strong basics at all.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Apparently he's tactically clueless, while the "people's favorite" Pochettino is way better with his 3 wins in about 30 away games against the top 6.

Hilarious.
Just like Mourinho is Ole's equal because he had that one shocking season, right?
 

Dinghy

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Just like Mourinho is Ole's equal because he had that one shocking season, right?
Solskjaer's got more away wins against top 6 sides in 10 months than Poch has had for over 5 years, with a worse side as well.

You're right, that's exactly the same...
 

Alabaster Codify7

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Look, three away wins in a row is a big improvement so fair play.

However, let's all admit that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer plays underdog football - the sort of football most fans chastised Jose Mourinho for playing. I personally don't have a huge problem with it, because above all else the goal is to win football games. I'd prefer to be entertained but so be it.

But OGS plays underdog football and he is not an attacking manager. That myth needs to die and all fans should have no issue in agreeing with that statement.
 

Dinghy

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What football did SAF play away against the best sides?
 
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Di Maria's angel

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I am not debating our style, only responding to your post about the other teams 2nd string better attack than us.

Arsenal scored a lot of gifted goals that game.

How many goals have we been gifted?
Utterly bemusing. They scored 5 at Anfield and you're saying that that they didn't play attacking football? How many errors did they force?
 

roonster09

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We scored 4 at bridge, conceding 5 and no one even remembers that game :lol:
 

Mainoldo

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Apparently he's tactically clueless, while the "people's favorite" Pochettino is way better with his 3 wins in about 30 away games against the top 6.

Hilarious.
If only life was so simple. Mourinho would still be at Real Madrid and probably Chelsea.
 

romufc

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Utterly bemusing. They scored 5 at Anfield and you're saying that that they didn't play attacking football? How many errors did they force?
Again.. have you watched the goals? I am sure if we Chelsea fielded a back 5 with no experience and purely youth, we would have scored more.

Go watch the Arsenal goals and tell me which goal was finest attacking play?
 

Mainoldo

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You're wumming now right?

LvG butchered what was left of Fergies team, giving away the likes of Nani and Rafael for peanuts while throwing away money on shite like Depay, Falcao and Schneiderlin. I will give him credit for bringing in Herrera and Martial. Those two were great finds, but other than that hes as guilty as anyone for pissing away loads of money while simultaneously weakening our squad. And LvG's "style" was boring as feck. Stupid shite like having to take x number of passes before going for goal and lambasting players (even benching them) for playing on instinct and trying to shot directly. That was what got him sacked and he very much was the architect of his own downfall.

And who cares about style? Right now the important thing is rebuilding the team and getting decent results. I could not give a rats hairy arse about "style" or possession or any of that noise as long as we outscore the other team.
You don’t care about style? So what is the United way fuss all about. I’m told give Ole time because he gets it? Gets what? We could get this from Allegri and also be further up the table if it’s about results. We could even get this from Mourinho if we are willing to back his bull.
 

Dec9003

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The past few wins seems to have hurt a few people in here. :wenger:
 

roonster09

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Yet we still fawn over Juanfield... a 2-1 win against a terrible Liverpool team.
Because it's a win, not a draw. We still cherish O'Shea's winner at Anfield when we played shit whole game, same with Tevez's winner too in 2007-08.
 

Wednesday at Stoke

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So, 3 wins in a row.
Is Ole turning this around?
With a healthy squad, he's shown he's not half bad as a tactician, especially in big games and the players seem to love playing for him. It might not be the popular opinion on here but I think he is bouncing back really well after a rough period.

We knew he wasn't the complete product when he was hired. Hopefully the summer business and the subsequent injuries thought him some lessons going forward regarding the importance of squad depth.
 

Mainoldo

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Again.. have you watched the goals? I am sure if we Chelsea fielded a back 5 with no experience and purely youth, we would have scored more.

Go watch the Arsenal goals and tell me which goal was finest attacking play?
Aye are you saying Arsenal’s defence is as inexperienced?
 

Robbie Boy

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Credit where it's due, three wins and a draw in the last 4 games. I can't say I've enjoyed the football bar the first half against Norwich but some definite improvements.
 
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