Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals his Man United stars thought they were too good to ‘just defend’ against Man City and Liverpool – but explains why they were WRONG
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claims his Manchester United team thought they were too good to just defend against the top sides – and believes this is part of the club’s DNA.
The former Man United boss, 51, said their biggest strength was ‘counter-attacking’ but felt a ‘responsibility’ to use a certain style of football while in charge.
Solskjaer managed United between December 2018 and November 2021, helping them reach second place in the Premier League but failing to win a trophy.
The Norwegian was often criticized for a perceived lack of tactical approach and carefree set-up, as his last four games saw a 5-0 thrashing at home to Liverpool, a 3-0 win over Spurs and a 2-0 home defeat to Manchester City. and a 4-1 thrashing at Watford.
βThe point was that the players also felt, and perhaps wrongly, that we were a better team than just defending,β Solskjaer told the club. Stick with the football podcastis sponsored by Sky bet.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says his Manchester United players felt they were ‘better’ than taking a defensive approach
His last few games have taken a heavy beating, including a 5-0 home draw against Liverpool
‘There were players whose biggest strength was counter-attacking and running and digging β to be honest.
βAnd in previous years you had players like Andreas Pereira, Dan James and Jesse Lingard, players who could run for you all day long. And it’s easy to build a team and beat City when you’re away from home.
‘At Manchester United you also have a responsibility that the fans enjoy the game. Don’t just get a result.’
He also said, βThat’s exactly what I thought (taking the next step and being the dominant team).
‘That’s not possible because there’s a chance you’ll lose anyway, those two Liverpool and (Manchester) City β two of the best teams in the world in the last four or five years. Absolutely top teams. There’s a chance you’re going to lose anyway. When you lose without even trying, you think, “What’s the point?”
Even when United finished second in the 2020/21 season, they still managed to concede 44 goals β the most of any top four team and just two fewer than 16th-placed Brighton.
Solskjaer’s positive energy got fans on board, with the chant ‘Ole’s at the wheel’ being created in his honour, but at other times they looked desperately disorganized and inconsistent.
His final league season got off to a good start with four wins and a draw, but the wheels came off the ground with a run of five defeats in seven in September, October and November.
He added: ‘It got to a point: we lost to Liverpool 5-0 and lost to (Manchester) City 2-0 at home in two games, and in between we beat Tottenham 3-0.
They were also beaten 2β0 at home by Manchester City and started a run of seven league games with five defeats
Solskjaer said players like Jesse Lingard were better at running than attacking for the team
“But I always watched those two home games because we have to be Manchester United, try to be United, don’t defend, don’t counter-attack, just let the players go out, go toe to toe” with them because otherwise there’s no point to play for Manchester United.
‘At some point you have to take the next step β and they weren’t ready for it yet. Just not good enough.’
Solskjaer has not returned to management since being sacked by Man United two-and-a-half years ago.
His most recent role was as a technical observer for UEFA, where he produced tactical reports of Champions League matches for the governing body.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky bet.