Gary Walker resigned a few months ago and I'm surprised that we have not brought in a new man (or women!) for the job. Solskjaer seems very focused on improving the fitness of our players and bringing in the best man possible for this job sounds crucial. It would be surprising if the guy from the academy where the answer. On of the first things Klopp did when he came to Liverpool was to improve this area by "headhunting" the guy at Bayern (as he was very impressed by the fitness of the Bayern players).
Obviously, we have very little information about this area at the club and it might be in perfect order, but it does worry me a bit. Solskjaer recently hired a goalkeeper coach he had with him at Molde and also brought with him Mark Dempsey. Having people around you that you can trust is obviously very important. But it is also very important to be surrounded by the best people possible.
This might be the area where really Ferguson excelled. He always ensured that he were surrounded by experts, people who were better at him at specific area and trusted them. This way, he managed to keep up and adjust to changes in the game.
In my opinion, Carlos Queiroz is a good example of Fergusons ability to find people that could help keep him at the top the game. Mourinho was probably the first in a special generation of coaches from Portugal that set their mark on football the past two decades. The Instituto Superior de Educação Física in Lisbon (basically the University of Sports Science in Lisbon), where Mourinho got his education, has been frequently mentioned as a great influence on the methods and philosophy this generation of coaches. As it turns out, Carlos Queiroz was a teacher/speaker at this university in the 90s. Many would probably argue that Mourinho winning the Champions League in 2003 was the major breakthrough for the "Lisbon method/theory". That is probably true. But Ferguson must have identified it early, as he hired Queiroz (for the first time) in 2002, one year before Mourinhos mayor breakthrough with Porto. The knowledge Queiroz brought to the club was probably crucial for the success we had from 2002 to 2013.
Football is constantly changing and improving. The methods and theory of Benitez and Mourinho (and Queiroz), relating to for instance "periodisation", gave these coaches success ten years ago. It gave them an edge. They where ahead of the game. The same way Wenger was with his use of statistics in the 90s. In 2019 almost all coaches have picked up on it. The edge is gone. The best have even added a few elements or moved on. This is probably why very few managers are able to be successful for more than a decade. Ferguson was able to be successful for 30 years because he knew he had to bring in staff that could help him be part of the constant evolution.
Solskjaer is probably not a genius. And he don't have to be. He just have to realize that he is not and try identify staff in the game who can help him move the club forward. This will be more important than any signing he will make this summer.
Obviously, we have very little information about this area at the club and it might be in perfect order, but it does worry me a bit. Solskjaer recently hired a goalkeeper coach he had with him at Molde and also brought with him Mark Dempsey. Having people around you that you can trust is obviously very important. But it is also very important to be surrounded by the best people possible.
This might be the area where really Ferguson excelled. He always ensured that he were surrounded by experts, people who were better at him at specific area and trusted them. This way, he managed to keep up and adjust to changes in the game.
In my opinion, Carlos Queiroz is a good example of Fergusons ability to find people that could help keep him at the top the game. Mourinho was probably the first in a special generation of coaches from Portugal that set their mark on football the past two decades. The Instituto Superior de Educação Física in Lisbon (basically the University of Sports Science in Lisbon), where Mourinho got his education, has been frequently mentioned as a great influence on the methods and philosophy this generation of coaches. As it turns out, Carlos Queiroz was a teacher/speaker at this university in the 90s. Many would probably argue that Mourinho winning the Champions League in 2003 was the major breakthrough for the "Lisbon method/theory". That is probably true. But Ferguson must have identified it early, as he hired Queiroz (for the first time) in 2002, one year before Mourinhos mayor breakthrough with Porto. The knowledge Queiroz brought to the club was probably crucial for the success we had from 2002 to 2013.
Football is constantly changing and improving. The methods and theory of Benitez and Mourinho (and Queiroz), relating to for instance "periodisation", gave these coaches success ten years ago. It gave them an edge. They where ahead of the game. The same way Wenger was with his use of statistics in the 90s. In 2019 almost all coaches have picked up on it. The edge is gone. The best have even added a few elements or moved on. This is probably why very few managers are able to be successful for more than a decade. Ferguson was able to be successful for 30 years because he knew he had to bring in staff that could help him be part of the constant evolution.
Solskjaer is probably not a genius. And he don't have to be. He just have to realize that he is not and try identify staff in the game who can help him move the club forward. This will be more important than any signing he will make this summer.