NOW that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has the Manchester United job, he has the opportunity to become the first United manager in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era to see out his contract. The others ended miserably, but optimism is high – it usually is early in the reign of a new boss – that the Norwegian can launch a first serious title challenge since 2013.
“To lift the Premier League trophy again is what we expect, what we’re used to,” said Solskjaer. “We can’t wait too many years but we have to take it step by step. It can’t happen overnight.”
That’s because of the current superiority of Manchester City and Liverpool, but if the league had started when he took over in December, United would be top.
5 – Managers with the most points from their opening 13 Premier League games at a single club:
Hiddink (Chelsea) – 34
Ancelotti (Chelsea) – 33
Scolari (Chelsea) – 32
Solskjaer (Manchester United) – 32
Mourinho (Chelsea) – 32
Revitalised. pic.twitter.com/HUMMKLKCZH
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 28, 2019
It’s not like the decision is a surprise either.
"I'll always be myself, I'm not going to change. I'm an optimist. We'll do this together." OGS
— Andy Mitten (@AndyMitten) March 28, 2019
Solskjaer has been in conversation since February about what happens with United next season. He’s been passed on the information from dozens of agents explaining how their client would love to play for the team with the second highest wage bill in world football.
He’ll now become the central person in deciding which players the club bring in over the summer. United are still looking at appointing a sporting director to work alongside the manager and Ed Woodward, but Solskjaer is now the most important person at the club. Alex Ferguson can have the occasional word, his assistant coaches can and do have a daily influence but Solskjaer stands alone. He will be the man who loses his job if United’s results are not up to scratch.
The Norwegian knows that the club has invested heavily in scouting and the academy in recent years and wants to be the beneficiary of that. While Manchester City refuse to promote home-grown players to the first team, Solskjaer has already given competitive debuts to three young players and United’s youth system is in far better shape now than four years ago when it was under resourced. Solskjaer believes in youth. Although he knows changes are needed, he also believes in the players he has.
Last summer, Jose Mourinho made a new central defender a priority for United. Except he didn’t tell anyone at United about this until July, rather than in the spring to give the club time to sign someone like Harry Maguire.
Fans think that a new central defender is a necessity. Well, sorting out the defence is important since 18 different defensive combinations were used by Jose Mourinho this season before he departed, but look at the defence since Solskjaer took control – the joint best in the league for that period. Solskjaer has encouraged the collective and it works all over the pitch.
United conceded 1.7 goals per game under Mourinho, better than only four other clubs. Under the new boss they’ve conceded 0.8, the same as City and Liverpool.
Clean sheets have been kept at Chelsea, Spurs, Leicester, Fulham and Newcastle away where the team has won. League leaders Liverpool couldn’t break down what was effectively a reserve United team at Old Trafford in a 0-0 draw. If United’s player of the year was announced tomorrow then Victor Lindelof would be the favourite to win it. Chris Smalling has been excellent, especially in huge matches such as Chelsea away. Are Smalling and Lindelof the best in their position in the world? Having seen Bonucci and Chiellini at Old Trafford this season, then PSG’s Thiago Silva and Presnel Kimpembe, I’d say not. And Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet may put on another defensive master class, but there’s no crisis in United’s defence.
David de Gea remains one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Luke Shaw is playing with the consistency nobody could have imagined a year ago. Shaw has played 34 times for United this season – only Paul Pogba has played more among the outfield players. Shaw started 14 games last season, 17 the season before, eight before that and 18 in his first season. The right back position is an issue but it’s for the manager to decide how much Diogo Dalot plays and how much Ashley Young is phased out. Barcelona have a bigger issue at right back than United.
Solskjaer is all about hard work and fitness. He thinks that’s an integral part to success, but United still need to be improved. That’s because recruitment has been very patchy in the last six years. Solskjaer said himself that that has to be improvement “because we’re too far behind where we have to be.”
⬆️ Points since Solskjaer took charge of Manchester United
#MUFC – 32
Liverpool – 31
Man City – 30 pic.twitter.com/JDI8eNveTc— Unibet (@unibet) March 29, 2019
Unlike some of his predecessors, Solskjaer is comfortable with the media and has said all the right things so far, a kind of Man United bingo of phrases that will resonate with fans. You can do that when you’re winning, but the media will dig for more than that as time goes on. They need fresh angles, fresh takes. Ferguson was often exasperated with what was written about his club when they were successful, yet he was also extremely prickly with criticism and would ban journalists, sometimes with little justification.
Ferguson, probably the greatest manager ever, was Solskjaer’s mentor, the man who shaped his thinking. Football has changed even in the relatively short time since Ferguson stepped down, English football too. Competition is tougher for United. Whereas they used to be able to go to Tottenham and take their best players, now Leicester can turn United down for a defender. This is a world where Bournemouth can outbid AC Milan for players.
Solskjaer passed his audition with flying colours. The nine game away win run was magnificent, with the dramatic ending in Paris the highlight. Now he has to show that he can be the leading man for real.
A £10 bet on Manchester United to make the top four returns £30
