Solskjær press conference vs Burnley (A)
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
First question - Injury news
Injury concerns over Pogba, Lindelof, Shaw and Bailly:
"All of them trained today. Paul and Eric didn't do all of it but Luke and Victor did, so I've got a decent amount of players to pick from. Let's see with Paul and Eric how they are tomorrow."
Injury concerns over Pogba, Lindelof, Shaw and Bailly:
"All of them trained today. Paul and Eric didn't do all of it but Luke and Victor did, so I've got a decent amount of players to pick from. Let's see with Paul and Eric how they are tomorrow."
On Burnley and United's form
"Burnley had some good results after a difficult start. It's hard to score against them, they don't concede many chances.
There will be ups and downs and less consistency in performances and as a fan it's more interesting, compared to last season when just one team ran away."
"Burnley had some good results after a difficult start. It's hard to score against them, they don't concede many chances.
There will be ups and downs and less consistency in performances and as a fan it's more interesting, compared to last season when just one team ran away."
Cavani back available
"Edinson has trained well when he's been banned. He's had a couple days off. He is ready to go. He gives us a different option. I'm glad to have him back, that's why we brought him in. He's contributed so far. He'll be really important for us until the end of the season."
"Edinson has trained well when he's been banned. He's had a couple days off. He is ready to go. He gives us a different option. I'm glad to have him back, that's why we brought him in. He's contributed so far. He'll be really important for us until the end of the season."
Was this in reply to a question or a Freudian slip of his confidence going into the match?
Solskjaer on title chances and progression
"We're better off this season than we were at this stage last season. We've played better football, won more games. Nobody remembers who's top on January 12th but we're progressing.
We're improving. It's been since Sir Alex left [that United challenged]. we've been second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth seventh so it's up to us to establish ourselves among the top four. We've only been there three times since Sir Alex left.
It's a different ball game to when I was a player, we were disappointed if we didn't win the league. But now so many teams consider themselves candidates."
"We're better off this season than we were at this stage last season. We've played better football, won more games. Nobody remembers who's top on January 12th but we're progressing.
We're improving. It's been since Sir Alex left [that United challenged]. we've been second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth seventh so it's up to us to establish ourselves among the top four. We've only been there three times since Sir Alex left.
It's a different ball game to when I was a player, we were disappointed if we didn't win the league. But now so many teams consider themselves candidates."
January important month?
"The league table doesn't really matter now, you pick up points and when you get to March, April, that's when the league is going to be decided.
We knew this would be a difficult season for us, we had to catch up. I said we need to hang in there, but that's not what I meant. I meant we had to pick up points and get performances right, don't let teams run away with it. We've done well."
"The league table doesn't really matter now, you pick up points and when you get to March, April, that's when the league is going to be decided.
We knew this would be a difficult season for us, we had to catch up. I said we need to hang in there, but that's not what I meant. I meant we had to pick up points and get performances right, don't let teams run away with it. We've done well."
January ins and outs
"The signings we made in the summer strengthened the squad really well. Good signings, good players.
January is more difficult but if something comes up, that's different. Good teams don't want to lose their players so unlikely on the 'in' side. There might be a few players going out, which is good for the good of their careers."
"The signings we made in the summer strengthened the squad really well. Good signings, good players.
January is more difficult but if something comes up, that's different. Good teams don't want to lose their players so unlikely on the 'in' side. There might be a few players going out, which is good for the good of their careers."
Burnley challenge and having had a game in hand
"We have to go into every game humble and to work hard. We need to be aggressive, hard to play against, no matter what.
The group mentality is changing all the time. Now is a different challenge. It's Burnley away and it doesn't matter where we stand in the league after this one.
With the results we got in the beginning, it maybe made it more difficult for the players. It made it easier for other teams to criticise us. You need to win your game in hand to get points on the board. Difficult start against Tottenham and Palace made it hard for us to look at the table because people talk about your position."
"We have to go into every game humble and to work hard. We need to be aggressive, hard to play against, no matter what.
The group mentality is changing all the time. Now is a different challenge. It's Burnley away and it doesn't matter where we stand in the league after this one.
With the results we got in the beginning, it maybe made it more difficult for the players. It made it easier for other teams to criticise us. You need to win your game in hand to get points on the board. Difficult start against Tottenham and Palace made it hard for us to look at the table because people talk about your position."
He is good at these things. I would say: "get them f**kn out of my club, waste of space, stealing a living players"
Disappointing.
On keeping the squad fit and available
“I think it’s going to be very important if you’ve managed to keep a fit squad. It’s not just about fitness injury-wise, of course – it’s also the Covid. You can see teams being really badly hit at times.
Our boys have done well in that regard. We’ve not really lost many. The players themselves have done better.
You’ve got less things to do outside football than you might. You stay at home, you rest and recover and maybe for your own mental health you do some things back in your own gym. You’re working and looking after yourself. I think that’s also a factor here.
I don’t think they’d be going out too much anyway, but you’ve got no chance of going out [at the moment]. Hopefully they’ll find out that we can live this way for the rest of our careers and get the most out of our careers!"
“I think it’s going to be very important if you’ve managed to keep a fit squad. It’s not just about fitness injury-wise, of course – it’s also the Covid. You can see teams being really badly hit at times.
Our boys have done well in that regard. We’ve not really lost many. The players themselves have done better.
You’ve got less things to do outside football than you might. You stay at home, you rest and recover and maybe for your own mental health you do some things back in your own gym. You’re working and looking after yourself. I think that’s also a factor here.
I don’t think they’d be going out too much anyway, but you’ve got no chance of going out [at the moment]. Hopefully they’ll find out that we can live this way for the rest of our careers and get the most out of our careers!"
On backroom staff improving injury record
“The fitness staff and medical staff here… we’ve done things inside the club that I think have improved us. [We’ve] brought the right people in, put them in the right positions. I’m very pleased with the work everyone has done."
“The fitness staff and medical staff here… we’ve done things inside the club that I think have improved us. [We’ve] brought the right people in, put them in the right positions. I’m very pleased with the work everyone has done."
On resting Maguire [one booking away from suspension]
“Harry is playing definitely, that’s for sure. If he is fit. If he doesn’t wake up tomorrow with an illness. So you can only take three points from the game that you are playing in. You cannot put your eyes on games beyond this one.”
“Harry is playing definitely, that’s for sure. If he is fit. If he doesn’t wake up tomorrow with an illness. So you can only take three points from the game that you are playing in. You cannot put your eyes on games beyond this one.”
On Cavani
"You can see he is a player who has looked after himself his whole career. The little things like what he wants for lunch, what he wants for his pre-match meal, what he does before the games, what he does in the gym, how focused he is, how we are training. He doesn’t skip that.
He knows he is here to improve and to get ready for the game, so those little things that you can see in players who have had careers and those habits I really like, and it was maybe the pre-match meal or lunch before a night game he wanted his meal in one specific way. He is a player who has been finding out what works for him throughout his career."
"You can see he is a player who has looked after himself his whole career. The little things like what he wants for lunch, what he wants for his pre-match meal, what he does before the games, what he does in the gym, how focused he is, how we are training. He doesn’t skip that.
He knows he is here to improve and to get ready for the game, so those little things that you can see in players who have had careers and those habits I really like, and it was maybe the pre-match meal or lunch before a night game he wanted his meal in one specific way. He is a player who has been finding out what works for him throughout his career."
On expectations
"You don’t adjust your expectations because I have high expectations of these players. I expect them to go into every single game with a mental readiness to work hard for your team to win it and the results will come. As long as I can see that progress in that mentality and that we are ready for every game.
If we go into every game with the right mentality and you don’t get results... I’m not saying that’s okay for them to have no excuses, because you can’t control results, and I feel that the group’s mentality is getting better.
So of course that is the big thing for me: that we go into games with the right frame of mind. Sometimes results don’t go as expected but I am very happy with where we are mentally at the moment."
"You don’t adjust your expectations because I have high expectations of these players. I expect them to go into every single game with a mental readiness to work hard for your team to win it and the results will come. As long as I can see that progress in that mentality and that we are ready for every game.
If we go into every game with the right mentality and you don’t get results... I’m not saying that’s okay for them to have no excuses, because you can’t control results, and I feel that the group’s mentality is getting better.
So of course that is the big thing for me: that we go into games with the right frame of mind. Sometimes results don’t go as expected but I am very happy with where we are mentally at the moment."
On potentially topping the table
"I would like to think that we go into this game, not thinking about where we will end up Tuesday night in the table but where we can end up in the table in May. That's what matters. You accumulate the points throughout the season so if at one point you think 'ah we've made it now, we have cracked it' and you relax, that is when it's going to hit you back.
So we are very focused. We have some good characters in the team, the dressing room is louder, it's more vocal. We’ve got Nemanja Matic, who has won it [the title, twice with Chelsea]… Juan Mata, Edinson Cavani. Bruno [Fernandes] – he wants to feel part of a team that is going to be challenging for trophies. We have more players that can grab the situation [opportunity]."
"I would like to think that we go into this game, not thinking about where we will end up Tuesday night in the table but where we can end up in the table in May. That's what matters. You accumulate the points throughout the season so if at one point you think 'ah we've made it now, we have cracked it' and you relax, that is when it's going to hit you back.
So we are very focused. We have some good characters in the team, the dressing room is louder, it's more vocal. We’ve got Nemanja Matic, who has won it [the title, twice with Chelsea]… Juan Mata, Edinson Cavani. Bruno [Fernandes] – he wants to feel part of a team that is going to be challenging for trophies. We have more players that can grab the situation [opportunity]."
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On new arrivals that can impact the team like Bruno
"The situation is different now from a year ago so it's unlikely something is going to happen.
But you're right. Bruno came in and has had a great impact, made us a better team and he's become a better player as well. If there was something out there that was nailed on I wouldn't say no but it's likely nothing is going to happen."
"The situation is different now from a year ago so it's unlikely something is going to happen.
But you're right. Bruno came in and has had a great impact, made us a better team and he's become a better player as well. If there was something out there that was nailed on I wouldn't say no but it's likely nothing is going to happen."
On wanting his team to develop an 'inner justice'
“There is nothing worse than having your manager or coaches always telling you what to do – this, that and the other. I’ve been lucky enough to have played in a team [United, 1996-2007] with loads of characters, that we looked after ourselves – [had an] inner justice.
Because then you don’t just let yourself down, you can let your team down. So you need leaders to really grab hold of the ones who stray out of line and from what we have agreed as a group. When you’re part of a football team there’s nothing stronger than being part of a team that keeps together.
I’ve also seen teams that have cliques, that don’t work together – that’s the killer of a team. I’ve been lucky enough at Molde [as manager] and here now to have a feeling that I can trust them more and more to look after themselves.”
“There is nothing worse than having your manager or coaches always telling you what to do – this, that and the other. I’ve been lucky enough to have played in a team [United, 1996-2007] with loads of characters, that we looked after ourselves – [had an] inner justice.
Because then you don’t just let yourself down, you can let your team down. So you need leaders to really grab hold of the ones who stray out of line and from what we have agreed as a group. When you’re part of a football team there’s nothing stronger than being part of a team that keeps together.
I’ve also seen teams that have cliques, that don’t work together – that’s the killer of a team. I’ve been lucky enough at Molde [as manager] and here now to have a feeling that I can trust them more and more to look after themselves.”
"Inner justice" sounds nicer than "footbal errrrritage" or "Philosophy"
It does. Speaks to notions of personal accountability and knowing when you've done right or wrong.
Still need to bring in a set pieces specialist but it's odd because last season we never had this many issues at corners