Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | W15 D2 L4

[soccergirl]

We were hammered in that Spurs game and DDG saved our bacon. Don't make it sound like some masterclass from OGS. We were lucky.

I agreed with you, the stats said that DDG make 16 saves, yes, 16 saves. Would have lost that game if DDG wasn't our GK.

I like Ole, I really do, but honestly, the games that he win are against team that are not top teams. I will give it to him if he can get us to win Liverpool and Man City. Perhaps I'm pessimistic, but realisticly I just don't see how we can win City squad dept and Liverpool pressing.

Until I see he (Ole) can win City and Liverpool, I say we go for Poch.

One thing I got to give Poch is this man without any signing for the past 18 months, zero, nothing added to their squad for past 1.5 years, and he still manage to get top 3, that really not bad, plus considering he not even have much budget to work with.

 

[Grande]

Shut up. Jesus, you like to hear yourself talk. We were hammered in that Spurs game and DDG saved our bacon. Don't make it sound like some masterclass from OGS. We were lucky.

You like short sentences, don’t you?

 

[Rolledo]

So the logic seems to be: We need a big-name and/or proven manager at the club, even though our last two big-name and/or proven managers (not including Moyes, whose stature at the time he got the job was still higher than OGS' when he got it) has failed in more or less every aspect (performance, style, recruitment etc); and the only way our unproven caretaker manager can get the job permanently is by working wonders (beating City, Liverpool and getting third, winning the FA cup, reversing the PSG-tie in Paris) with a squad thats been underwhelming ever since the Swansea-game in august, 2013? Baffling.

 

[Grande]

OGS has done well motivating the team. One of the reasons he should stay on is because fans wont turn on him when things inevitably go bad. It will be Woodward and the Glazers next. Someone like Poch would easily take the fall. Think Woodward wouldn't dare go for Allegri or Zidane. However, OGS hasn't changed a lot tactically which is expected mid-season. Most of the work seems like it is Mckenna and Carricks playstyle. We played similarly under Jose. The only difference is Matic has been told he can Pass it forward and we push both FBs forward rather than one. Under Jose the RW would come narrow and pop up everywhere, this still happens. Under Jose the left side of the pitch would be congested. This still happens. The major difference is OGS has allowed players to play out the back whereas Jose would say safety first. What we can deduce from this in a positive sense is OGS can adapt and play different ways even though I don't like the way we currently play and how much we rely on Pogba. A negative is it doesn't seem he has his own Pep/Klopp style, too much flexibility isn't always a good thing.

If Guardiola came in mid-season, you probably wouldn’t see much more differences after ten games. However, the way we play now is quite similar in many ways to how Molde has played under Solskjær. At his first stint at Molde, when they won the league for the first time twice, he was more inspired by possession football, then again, Molde had good players for that football in Norwegian standards. The second stint at Molde, changing out the old and overly content players with younger players, he opted for a more direct play often, interchanging between playing out from the back, going directly for the dangerous spaces, and then reverting to possession recycling if the space closed for them. Solskjær are not dissimilar from Pochettino in playing philosophy. His scholars have been Ferguson, Queiroz and Egil Drillo Olsen (the manager that had Norway puncing way above their weight for almost a decade), and. His interest lies in attacking football.

My guess is that Pochettino, Carrick, McKenna and Solskjær are not too dissimilar in their ideals of how to play, but as Poch is starting to learn - you cannot play the same way regardless of wether you are the better team or not, home and away, in England or Europe.

 

[Virror]

I agreed with you, the stats said that DDG make 16 saves, yes, 16 saves. Would have lost that game if DDG wasn't our GK.

I like Ole, I really do, but honestly, the games that he win are against team that are not top teams. I will give it to him if he can get us to win Liverpool and Man City. Perhaps I'm pessimistic, but realisticly I just don't see how we can win City squad dept and Liverpool pressing.

Until I see he (Ole) can win City and Liverpool, I say we go for Poch.

One thing I got to give Poch is this man without any signing for the past 18 months, zero, nothing added to their squad for past 1.5 years, and he still manage to get top 3, that really not bad, plus considering he not even have much budget to work with.

11 saves actually, and Lloris had 8 saves to make, so it wasn't exactly that onesided.

 

[#07]

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Berba talking sense.

 

[Andy Hill]

The Chelsea game is massive for Ole. If we get through I would say that we have a very good chance of winning the trophy. Lose and the doubters will start to circle and it could be a tough ride to the end of the season.

 

[charlenefan]

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Berba talking sense.

Couldn;t of been that much sense as the tweet has been deleted

 

[wrinklydong]

This is the real acid test for OGS. I'll happily park the bus and take draws for Chelsea and Liverpool match, it'll be a miracle if he can conjure up a win with our remaining attackers.

 

[Foxtrot]

I assume this is trolling. Shocked by the lack of white text

Just because someone doesn't share your opinion doesn't means he is a troll. Gain some perspective please. I've always been a big fan of Mourinho and I still am.

 

[Tiber]

Just because someone doesn't share your opinion doesn't means he is a troll. Gain some perspective please. I've always been a big fan of Mourinho and I still am.

If your not trolling then you must have been in a coma for 4 years if you think Jose was beating PSG

 

[Foxtrot]

If your not trolling then you must have been in a coma for 4 years if you think Jose was beating PSG

Grow up please.

 

[Judas]

Honestly what happens now IF we do go off the rails a bit? With the injuries we've now got, and the fixture list being tricky, it could happen.

 

[JohnZSmith27]

Couldn;t of been that much sense as the tweet has been deleted

Speaking to Betfair, Berbatov said: “Paris Saint-Germain are a great team and deserved to win on the night but I didn’t think United were that bad and some of the comments about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ‘being found out’ were ridiculous.

“He has got them into the top four – something no-one thought was possible this season – but they lose one game to a team full of superstars and people start talking sh*t again.

“It’s the way of the world these days but everyone who understands football knows what a good job Ole has done.

“The big difference on Tuesday was the first goal – even the best and most creative teams have to rely on set pieces sometimes – which gave PSG the confidence to play, and control the game.

“The injuries to Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial obviously played a major role as United lost their pace and directness up front.

“It’s often hard for subs to integrate themselves into these type of games quickly, and PSG made it as hard as possible for Alexis Sanchez and Juan Mata to settle.”

 

[bond19821982]

Now let's see if he can make us peform without our 2 best players. Another challenge where his ability will be tested . I am actually loving this period, which will tell us if Ole is good enough to take over.

 

[ash_86]

Now let's see if he can make us peform without our 2 best players. Another challenge where his ability will be tested . I am actually loving this period, which will tell us if Ole is good enough to take over.

Exactly what i was thinking. As much as i would love to have the entire team against Liverpool, these kind of situations are where we'll see the managers management take frontstage. Next manager appointment needs to be spot on for our sake. All these help bringing out how deep Ole can dig to get a result.

 

[Red For Ever]

He was found out yesterday. Jose would have beaten PSG or at least get us a draw. We beat Juventus on away goals and Juventus is regarded as a better team than PSG. Absolute disgrace we just capitalated.

Maybe, Maybe not, we shall never know for sure.

But in my opinion, what is pretty sure, if Mou had still been here, we would not be in 4th, and the football would still be dire, the chances of Martial resigning would be almost zero, and the chance of Pogba and others staying would be slim.

I for one was never stupid or naive enough to expect Ole to win every game, and I am very happy at the big changes since Ole arrived.

If 3 or 4 bad games were enough to destroy the majority of good games, then no manager anywhere would last a season, and especially SAF at the start of his time with United.

Having diverse opinions is important, but it helps if expectations are realistic.

 

[SerenityValley]

It is not bizarre if you remember that many forumers are not Man Utd fans.

Also, in statistics, if you ask any question to 2000 people you will always get 10% of weird answers.

And then you have those who voted a day after Ole's appointment and they never visited the poll again to change their vote.

It’s more the fact that it had jumped 2 votes in those circumstances but I take the point about non fans.

 

[Untd55]

Unfortunately, it seems what I said previously about our team being just told to attack with very little/no structure holds some truth.

Solskjaer has said that he believes that it is individual brilliance, not tactics that win games. We have certainly been following that trend recently.

Our attack--even general play--has looked chaotic and disorganised which has led to a lot of poor performances in games, which we have only been winning through individual brilliance.

It was why I did not think he should be appointed as permanent manager, but now he has practically confirmed it himself I am even more concerned about him being selected.

None of the best teams lack tactical discipline, so until he changes that attitude and there is evidence of a structure being implemented in our play he cannot be chosen as manager.

 

[Cardozo]

Unfortunately, it seems what I said previously about our team being just told to attack with very little/no structure holds some truth.

Solskjaer has said that he believes that it is individual brilliance, not tactics that win games. We have certainly been following that trend recently.

Our attack--even general play--has looked chaotic and disorganised which has led to a lot of poor performances in games, which we have only been winning through individual brilliance.

It was why I did not think he should be appointed as permanent manager, but now he has practically confirmed it himself I am even more concerned about him being selected.

None of the best teams lack tactical discipline, so until he changes that attitude and there is evidence of a structure being implemented in our play he cannot be chosen as manager.

I don’t think anyone could argue individual brilliance doesn’t quite often win games but I think you’re taking an over simplistic view.

I’m sure Ole and co aren’t just saying go out there and score more than they do. They set the team up with the tactics to press, contain, use the wings etc.

But if the crosses are constantly too high or Lukaku puts every header 5ft over the bar we’re either drawing or losing.

 

[ReddBalls]

The two previous managers was so focused on tactics that it sucked the joy out of playing football for the players. He's just saying that whichever tactics is employed there is still room for the players to improvise and make a difference on their own.

 

[Canagel]

Unfortunately, it seems what I said previously about our team being just told to attack with very little/no structure holds some truth.

Solskjaer has said that he believes that it is individual brilliance, not tactics that win games. We have certainly been following that trend recently.

Our attack--even general play--has looked chaotic and disorganised which has led to a lot of poor performances in games, which we have only been winning through individual brilliance.

It was why I did not think he should be appointed as permanent manager, but now he has practically confirmed it himself I am even more concerned about him being selected.

None of the best teams lack tactical discipline, so until he changes that attitude and there is evidence of a structure being implemented in our play he cannot be chosen as manager.

He is just giving encouragement to the players and downplaying his own effect.
Also tactics can be implemented to certain extent but is the player the makes the difference. Thats why he failed in Cardiff and a success here so far.

 

[BlahRules]

To suggest there is no attacking positional training done in training is just absurd accusation. When you can see recently with arsenal where it was shown the tactical attwcking play.

 

[PepsiCola]

To suggest there is no attacking positional training done in training is just absurd accusation. When you can see recently with arsenal where it was shown the tactical attwcking play.

The Spurs game was a CLEAR showing of it.

 

[Ronaldo's ego]

OGS has been here for 12 games... 12 fecking games! It takes years to build a squad capable of competing at the top level. This is not even his squad, he’s managed to assemble a competitive first team but everything after that is absolute shit. Losing to PSG, a far superior side, is his defining moment? Whoever thinks that needs to screw their fecking head on!

I’m not saying he’s without doubt the best option for us going forward but he’s been given a job until the end of the season. Let’s wait until the end of the season and then reassess, I don’t understand why people are so desperate for the club to make a decision so hastily

 

[Canagel]

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But but but...theres no structure and tactics.

 

[ash_86]

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[hungrywing]

Dare we hope.

He's been perfect imo. And looks extremely likely to continue to be perfect going forward. Sign him up.

 

[haram]

Dare we hope.

He's been perfect imo. And looks extremely likely to continue to be perfect going forward. Sign him up.

He deserves praise but he objectively hasn’t been perfect...

 

[buchansleftleg]

I think the only issue left for OGS to show his abilities in, is to assess his current squads abilities and to make the sort of ruthless decisions that marked Sir Alex's multiple squads.

In terms of managing people he has been incredibly positive.

Tactically the team is playing better

What has held back other young managers has been over familiarity with some players and a reluctance to spot players declining.

No one is perfect at it, even SAF got it wrong with Stam but he spotted that others had peaked like Ince, Hughes and Rooney and made radical plans to replace them.

Picking new players is a bit of a lottery and we didn't spend money in January so that is difficult to assess, but if he spent 3 hours with Woodward then I hope it was to assess the squad and agree a succession plan to overhaul it.

 

[RC89]

It's very easy to get excited about Ole. But I think the PSG game showed some crucial flaws. It wasn't a terrible result when you consider what people would have thought our chances were before he took us over.

All that being said, sticking Mata and Sanchez on at the same time, so early killed the game for us. Was always an uphill task with Lingard and Martial going off injured. But he should have atleast used Lukaku and maybe stick either him or Rashford out wide. Their wingers bombed our full backs second half because they no longer needed to worry about our pace and that was the beginning of the end.

 

[Trizy]

Ole or not we need a feck load of players in the door.

 

[Bestietom]

Some fans will judge Ole on the upcoming games against Chelsea, Liverpool, City, and the return game against PSG. if we lose all those games the previous 10 games will be forgotten and he will start to get slated.

Funny old game, Football

 

[RedSky]

Some fans will judge Ole on the upcoming games against Chelsea, Liverpool, City, and the return game against PSG. if we lose all those games the previous 10 games will be forgotten and he will start to get slated.

Funny old game, Football

Which is a load of bollocks really because of injuries and our squad not being upto scratch. If he's winning in the games we should be winning then all thats holding him back in the quality of the squad. If we get back to winning ways once this difficult patch is over that will tell us Ole is the real deal imo and what he needs is backing.

 

[Stacks]

Unfortunately, it seems what I said previously about our team being just told to attack with very little/no structure holds some truth.

Solskjaer has said that he believes that it is individual brilliance, not tactics that win games. We have certainly been following that trend recently.

Our attack--even general play--has looked chaotic and disorganised which has led to a lot of poor performances in games, which we have only been winning through individual brilliance.

It was why I did not think he should be appointed as permanent manager, but now he has practically confirmed it himself I am even more concerned about him being selected.

None of the best teams lack tactical discipline, so until he changes that attitude and there is evidence of a structure being implemented in our play he cannot be chosen as manager.

You make it sound like he is merely Zidane at Real Madrid

 

[Di Maria's angel]

Which is a load of bollocks really because of injuries and our squad not being upto scratch. If he's winning in the games we should be winning then all thats holding him back in the quality of the squad. If we get back to winning ways once this difficult patch is over that will tell us Ole is the real deal imo and what he needs is backing.

This same squad last season:

Under Ole, with no shackles and far more confidence, we should be able to compete against the top sides. Injuries to Lingard and Martial shouldn't change that.

In truth, I don't care so much about the result but I'd rather not see another performance similar to the PSG one.

 

[GreenHeron]

The next few games will be a test for OGS and I suspect that he will have to find a new tactic while Martial and Lingard are out - as we saw in the second half of PSG shoehorning Mata/Sanchez/Lukaku into a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 doesn't work. A diamond or a 4-4-2 without out and out wingers with Pogba on the left (a la Zidane) and both Young and Dalot on the right would be my choice.

If he sticks with the old tactics and loses then we might be entitled to question his tactical nous or lack of.

But not on the back of his performance so far. The team's performance has improved markedly and he has identified a preferred starting XI which his predecessor failed to do in 3 years. That preferred starting XI was performing reasonably well in the first half against PSG until the injuries. Nobody knows what would have happened without the injuries but a comfortable win for PSG was not the favourite outcome that is for sure.

What the changes did was to emphasise the weaknesses that are already in the squad. Right back is a big weakness - note how many teams choose to attack Ashley Young, note how the Spurs game changed when Son switched from a central forward to wide left. PSG exploited this to the full. The other big change was the lack of pace on the break allowing PSG to attack in greater numbers - in many ways Martial, Rashford and Lingard are among our best defenders simply by staying upfield (note our much improved defensive record under OGS who is brave enough to leave the trio upfield vs Mourinho who had them as auxiliary full backs).

None of these weaknesses are on OGS - who has by any standards covered them up very well - and it's simply wrong to say they are. The subs exposed United's weaknesses and one of the world's top teams exploited them. I'd have brought Dalot on instead of Mata but it's easy to be wise after the event and let's not forget PSG got their break via a daft set piece - another weakness that predates OGS by a long time.

We still have an imperfect squad with a weakness on the right, only one top centre half and a back up cast that is no better than mid table quality. Despite this the current manager is getting a far better tune out of them than his predecessor.

 

[kaiz]

People criticizing Ole now forget one thing: every manager needs time. Guardiola was called a fraud in his first season with City. Sarri is likely gonna lose his balls trying to coach Chelsea's players to play his style(I believe Sarriball is the term come up by people to mock Sarri, not to admire his football). Even the best of the world struggle and need time. You often hear people say that manager need time to implement his style, he needs to bring in his own players. They forgot all that with Ole because he has done really well so far.

You have every right to have doubts about Ole as he was the manager that relegated with Cardiff and only did well with Molde in the Norwegian league. But it's unfair and crazy to complain about what he has done at United. Up till this point, he has done an amazing job making up 11 points, getting United in the top 4 in less than 2 months, some even said it's a miracle.

 

[Adam-Utd]

People criticizing Ole now forget one thing: every manager needs time. Guardiola was called a fraud in his first season with City. Sarri is likely gonna lose his balls trying to coach Chelsea's players to play his style(I believe Sarriball is the term come up by people to mock Sarri, not to admire his football). Even the best of the world struggle and need time. You often hear people say that manager need time to implement his style, he needs to bring in his own players. They forgot all that with Ole because he has done really well so far.

You have every right to have doubts about Ole as he was the manager that relegated with Cardiff and only did well with Molde in the Norwegian league. But it's unfair and crazy to complain about what he has done at United. Up till this point, he has done an amazing job making up 11 points, getting United in the top 4 in less than 2 months, some even said it's a miracle.

Sarriball is supposed to be a compliment, it was based on the fast paced 1 touch football Napoli played, especially when countering.

 

[Kapardin]

He deserves praise but he objectively hasn’t been perfect...

Yep. The showing at PSG was like the second half of Spurs and Leicester where we ran out of ideas and hung on....except that PSG scored. Not denying he's been a brilliant caretaker manager, but so far, that's all he's been.

Some fans will judge Ole on the upcoming games against Chelsea, Liverpool, City, and the return game against PSG. if we lose all those games the previous 10 games will be forgotten and he will start to get slated.

Funny old game, Football

If he loses those games because of injuries and lack of personnel, no-one will hold it against him. But if he loses because he is outwitted tactically like he was in the second half against Spurs and in the PSG game (injuries not withstanding), I reckon he shouldn't get the job.

Nobody worries about losing, but there's a way to lose. Sevilla and PSG aren't it (though the latter isn't as disgraceful as the former). His comment about individual quality winning games as opposed to in-game tactics also worried me.