On Sunday at London's Wembley Stadium, when the scoreboard showed the 95th minute and "Manchester United" was leading 1-0, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appeared in the technical area after substituting Diogo Dalot in the center of the field, indicating the need to move away from their goal. Although by pulling out one of the pillars from the last defensive line, the life of "Tottenham Hotspur" in the midfield and the chances of surviving in this match were made more difficult, according to lrt.lt. A few seconds later, Mike Dean announced the fifth consecutive "United" victory (5 in the Premier League, 1 in the cup tournament), led by the "baby-face assassin" and "super sub" nicknamed former Manchester player in the colors of the Norwegian club. However, the match in London was special - it was the first big test just a month after Ole took over the club, where he succeeded in maintaining the game plan until the final whistle. However, this was not the only reason for yesterday's victory, according to ESPN journalist Mark Ogden, the restored self-confidence played a huge role. In addition, O.G. Solskjaer demonstrated that tactically he can overcome very strong opponents. The five victories before were against teams where winning is mandatory every time, but the visit to Wembley Stadium was different. Especially because of the opposing coach Mauricio Pochettino, who is considered one of the real candidates to take over the Manchester team after the season.
It would be naive to expect that this match changed the decision to part ways with the Norwegian, but with at least a slight chance that it will change and he will continue to lead Manchester United, Ole must prove that he can lead the team to victory even against the big opponents. And the victory in London became a strong argument for that. Especially when the fans and the management had been missing such "red devils", who were last seen under the leadership of the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. David Moyes, who took over the team in Manchester, was unsuccessful, and later both Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho failed to restore the team's former glory, victories, and joy of playing.
Now, with a Portuguese replacing him and well acquainted with the values of the Manchester United club, O.G. Solskjaer showed such quality that all the team's fans had been longing for. So it's no wonder that more and more specialists see him continue to lead "United". Especially when after the season, the same M. Pochettino may remain in London. Buying out the Argentine may be thwarted not only by the 40 million pound (44.73 million Euro) buyout clause but also by the trust given by Tottenham's director Daniel Levy - the first major trophy with the London team has been expected since 2014.
By the way, the team should soon move to a new stadium, which cost nearly a billion euros, and with a new beginning, there are even higher expectations. However, with the absence of Harry Kane from the lineup, Heung-Min Son's trip to the Asia cup, and Fernando Llorente's contribution to the team's attack not meeting expectations, reinforcements are necessary during the winter transfer window. If January is again without purchases, the desire of the Argentine to continue seeking victories in the British capital may decrease. However, Pochettino's problems in London are definitely not Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's main headache. There will be several challenges in the near future. In February, the Champions League will face Paris Saint-Germain's barrier, and on the local front, "Liverpool," "Manchester City," and "Chelsea" are sharpening their knives.
These are much bigger names than the previously defeated "Cardiff," "Huddersfield," "Bournemouth," "Newcastle," and "Reading." But even before going to London, O.G. Solskjaer had to come up with something new to outsmart one of the best coaches in the league, M. Pochettino. But let's start from the beginning. Jesse Lingard had a very important role in the match, making it as difficult as possible for the ball to pass from defense to the center of the field, where his teammate Harry Winks was waiting and creating a trio with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. This mobile and very fast trio made life difficult for the home team's defense in the midfield and demonstrated their speed in attacks.
The constant pressure finally paid off just before halftime. In the 44th minute, receiving a perfect pass from Paul Pogba, M. Rashford bypassed his opponent and with a powerful shot into the corner of the goal defeated Hugo Lloris. This Frenchman's pass almost summarizes the changes that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought when he replaced the dismissed J. Mourinho. If this specialist from Portugal had continued to lead the club, perhaps P. Pogba wouldn't have even started these matches. In the showdown with Tottenham a year ago, the Frenchman was substituted in the 63rd minute, and the scoreboard showed another painful stab with a score of 0:2. Although the previous season ended only trailing behind neighbors "Manchester City," the quality of play constantly made fans grab their heads. P. Pogba, who seemed out of place on the field, acknowledged that the change of coach was very important to him. "I am enjoying the game now. I like to attack, and before I had to defend too much, which is not my strongest side. Now the coach tells me to go into the penalty area and score goals. (...) Now I enjoy playing again," said the winger who triumphed with the French national team in the World Cup last year.
Now the Frenchman has more freedom to create problems in the opponents' half, which he did on Sunday. When David De Gea withstood as many as 11 shots in defense and kept his goal clean, P. Pogba raged on the other side of the field not only with accurate passes but also with dangerous shots - his team-mate from the national team Hugo Lloris prevented him from scoring. When O.G. Solskjaer's tactics led to victory on Sunday, reducing the gap from fourth-placed Londoners Chelsea by six points, it is noteworthy that the 45-year-old completely changed the atmosphere in the dressing room. "The coach brings joy. The players are playing well, and the team is very strong. This is the real Manchester United," said the goalkeeper who has been playing for the team since 2011. Other players are also rediscovering their best qualities. Especially when they feel the coach's unwavering support - after the match, the Norwegian was able to mention almost every starting player on his team - D. De Gea he called the "best in the world" and "competing with Edwin van der Sar and Peter Schmeichel for the title of the best goalkeeper in the club's history." He referred to Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera as "fantastic," highlighted M. Rashford, A. Martial, and J. Lingard's pace, and finally talked about P. Pogba's qualities.
And that is the simplest key to victories - to make players happy and believe in their abilities. But to beat Spurs, O.G. Solskjaer had to show that he can fight and win in tactical schemes. He succeeded, and if this continues, he could become a serious candidate to stay in Manchester after the season.
lrt.lt
