Ole Gunnar Solskjær | 2021/22 Discussion

[Tony247]

First, Ole needs to settle on his formation and players suitable for each position and back up positions. Otherwise I am not sure how he will phase out unwanted players.

Playing 3 forwards thus sacrificing a midfielder is inexplicable. That too when these forwards have no understanding between them. That is managerial mistake.

Things were relatively better when initially he played rash and martial. Then he played lukaku and rash. Now I don't see any compelling reason yesterday to play all 3 together from go.

 

[crossy1686]

what?? the players were telling him where to pass ffs. The whole passage of play was his doing.

Why didn't they do it then?

 

[redIndianDevil]

Our pressing under Jose and Ole has always been a half arsed press. Never fully committed, which is why we suck at it.

LVG I can't really recall, thought we pressed OK enough but we played a possession game more than anything else so I just recall us recycling the ball to no end.

If Ole wants us fit I have little doubt it's to embed a proper press off the ball. Problem is we don't look any better at it. When Klopp came after Brendan there was a difference in Liverpool's style after a few months. It wasn't the end product but progress was there to see.

Exactly this. Pressing is not something that can be achieved just by asking players to press. There is a method to that, that's why only the best managers in the world have imparted that into their styles. Asking players to work hard and press is simply not enough. Sadly we have appointed managers who are clueless and embraced pressing half heartedly.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Exactly this. Pressing is not something that can be achieved just by asking players to press. There is a method to that, that's why only the best managers in the world have imparted that into their styles. Asking players to work hard and press is simply not enough. Sadly we have appointed managers who are clueless and embraced pressing half heartedly.

Good point. It's not implemented effectively by sheer will but just as importantly, by ensuring the energy is invested collectively in the most organized and impactful manner.

To be fair lesser teams are often also strong in their style of play. I've always loved how Bournemouth set up for example. If Ole can get us as fluid of them, with our added quality and resources, we'll be a force.

 

[redIndianDevil]

Good point. It's not implemented effectively by sheer will but just as importantly, by ensuring the energy is invested collectively in the most organized and impactful manner.

To be fair lesser teams are often also strong in their style of play. I've always loved how Bournemouth set up for example. If Ole can get us as fluid of them, with our added quality and resources, we'll be a force.

Bournemouth pass well but they are a bit clueless, they don't do well away from home. We should strive to achieve something far greater than that.

 

[Garethw]

He’s massively massively out of his depth.

Our football has been fecking abysmal for about 15 games now and every tactical change he makes just makes us look even more poor.

The performances and results of late are relegation form.

 

[FootyGirl88]

 

[OldTrevil]

People are over reacting with Ole as usual in the modern day constant news cycle with bullshit sound bites galore.

Its good that Ole came in during this half a season and is now permananet manager. Good that he saw the team playing well and playing crap. He has got enough time to evaluate the players and determine what he needs and doesn't need. I will hold my counsel.... until he's had a preseason with a the team he wants.

 

[Garethw]

People are over reacting with Ole as usual in the modern day constant news cycle with bullshit sound bites galore.

Its good that Ole came in during this half a season and is now permananet manager. Good that he saw the team playing well and playing crap. He has got enough time to evaluate the players and determine what he needs and doesn't need. I will hold my counsel.... until he's had a preseason with a the team he wants.

But is he good enough and experienced enough to oversee this rebuild?

We needed to appoint the very best manager available. Someone with a clear vision, a distinct style of play and the tactical ability to out think other top managers during a game.

I love Ole, he will always be a true legend. But appointing someone with zero experience of managing an elite club and asking him to oversee quite possibly the biggest squad rebuild in modern memory was not only stupid but fecking negligent by our parasitic owners and incompetent CEO.

 

[Massive Spanner]

But is he good enough and experienced enough to oversee this rebuild?

We needed to appoint the very best manager available. Someone with a clear vision, a distinct style of play and the tactical ability to out think other top managers during a game.

I love Ole, he will always be a true legend. But appointing someone with zero experience of managing an elite club and asking him to oversee quite possibly the biggest squad rebuild in modern memory was not only stupid but fecking negligent by our parasitic owners and incompetent CEO.

We did that with our last manager and it failed miserably.

I don't think Ole exactly fits that profile either but until we sort out everything that's wrong with the club, I'm not sure any manager can do much.

 

[OleTheGreat]

Did we commit another mistake by appointing Ole before the end of the season? I didn't think that then but i do so now. Our form has completely dropped and i don't think it is up to him. We always had it in us to lose badly one of these days and i'm sure even Ole saw it coming.

Only and only if Ole is backed this summer will United have any chance to make an impact next season.

 

[Garethw]

We did that with our last manager and it failed miserably.

I don't think Ole exactly fits that profile either but until we sort out everything that's wrong with the club, I'm not sure any manager can do much.

Mourinho was a huge gamble and we all knew that it would end in tears within three years. But Mourinho usually delivers a league title so it was a risk worth taking.

After the horrendous Mourinho bullshit we all endured, the most important thing was appointing the right manager. We needed stability and we needed experience to build this team back up again.

Appointing Solskjær on a temporary basis looked like a master stroke, in the same way that making him the permanent boss so early now looks like a terrible mistake.

 

[Massive Spanner]

Mourinho was a huge gamble and we all knew that it would end in tears within three years. But Mourinho usually delivers a league title so it was a risk worth taking.

After the horrendous Mourinho bullshit we all endured, the most important thing was appointing the right manager. We needed stability and we needed experience to build this team back up again.

Appointing Solskjær on a temporary basis looked like a master stroke, in the same way that making him the permanent boss so early now looks like a terrible mistake.

Of course it was a mistake but then I really don't know who else we could get who could be successful with these clowns and this awful board.

 

[Garethw]

What worries me more than anything is that I can see the board being unwilling to sanction a summer of mega spending with Ole in charge.

If they have doubts about his long and short term future then I can see one of two things happening.

1) We spend similarly to last summer £60-£70 million.
2) We spend big but they will not be Solskaer’s choices and will be hand picked by the board.

 

[Greck]

Exactly this. Pressing is not something that can be achieved just by asking players to press. There is a method to that, that's why only the best managers in the world have imparted that into their styles. Asking players to work hard and press is simply not enough. Sadly we have appointed managers who are clueless and embraced pressing half heartedly.

Exactly. The pressing Pep for example uses has them firstly choke off passing options with two to three players in an almost triangle formation before slowly closing in. It's methodical. It's not Carlos Tevez type mad dog pressing that people think and I'm a bit shocked some managers seem to think so

 

[K2K]

It's like any manager who has had virtually no experience of note before taking over a big club. Zidane before Madrid (and still now), Pep before taking over at Barca, Ole here... Many other examples. You just have to see how it plays out. No point getting pissed off before hand or building up random scenarios in your head of him getting it all wrong. We have to wait and see what sort of players he'll go after. Would also help to see exactly what Woodwards role is when it comes to signings, does he push signings on managers, does he just get a list from the manager of preferences or positions and then goes after that, etc... It's all impossible to know from the outside looking in.

But that's basically the point im making

Because of his limited history this can go either way. Either good or bad. So really no guarantee that spending big will fix things.

 

[minoo-utd]

I really need someone to tell me what kind of system Ole's trying to implement? Never seen a team who can easily make such miss passes with massive isolation!

 

[RuudTom83]

He is actually the first manager since SAF that can tell the board which players aren't good enough! without Ed rebuffing him.

If Ole does nothing else apart from ridding the club of the deadwood and starting a new foundation for the next manager...he will have done a good job.

 

[Greck]

I really need someone to tell me what kind of system Ole's trying to implement? Never seen a team who can easily make such miss passes with massive isolation!

From what one can gather he wants his team to be about pace, strength and fitness. He doesn't seem to have a playing style but rather playing principles. He still needs to develop the former though because he wouldn't be the first coach in sports to fail trying to build a team of super attacking soldiers with no detailed system of play

 

[DomesticTadpole]

You cannot blame Ole for what the players did on the pitch yesterday, but you can blame him for playing them out of position and then just sitting there and letting the game get out of hand. I just hope the board back him and with a squad including his own players we do not regret the decision to give him the job. Time will tell.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

He is actually the first manager since SAF that can tell the board which players aren't good enough! without Ed rebuffing him.

If Ole does nothing else apart from ridding the club of the deadwood and starting a new foundation for the next manager...he will have done a good job.

Agree with this.

 

[elnorte]

He is actually the first manager since SAF that can tell the board which players aren't good enough! without Ed rebuffing him.

If Ole does nothing else apart from ridding the club of the deadwood and starting a new foundation for the next manager...he will have done a good job.

Do we know this for sure? Is there evidence that previous managers even asked for this and if so that Ed then refused them? Do we have evidence that Ole has also made this request has been given a different answer to his predecessors?

 

[breakout67]

He is actually the first manager since SAF that can tell the board which players aren't good enough! without Ed rebuffing him.

If Ole does nothing else apart from ridding the club of the deadwood and starting a new foundation for the next manager...he will have done a good job.

Very strange opinion. LVG and Mourinho with their extensive knowledge of managing title winning teams was rebuffed by Woodward, but Ole won't be? I think it is actually the opposite, Ole was hired because he could be easily rebuffed. He's fine with a few seasons in the top 4, as long as we play youth, attack and work hard. Modest work in the transfer market is fine with him.

Moaninho wanted a CB and RW last summer. That meant that he wanted to make 4 signings to add to the team that finished on 81 points. He wanted to challenge then and there, not wait for a process.

 

[NinjaZombie]

He is actually the first manager since SAF that can tell the board which players aren't good enough! without Ed rebuffing him.

If Ole does nothing else apart from ridding the club of the deadwood and starting a new foundation for the next manager...he will have done a good job.

It could be argued that Mourinho, who has won trophies and titles everywhere he went, had the clout to do that. But he wasn't backed and got sacked.

This summer will tell us a lot about how the club is being run.

I reckon if Ole doesn't get the players he wants, the fans need to start making their unhappiness heard.

 

[TMDaines]

The beIN analysis yesterday was a good watch. Ole was appointed too soon and it is now too soon to write him off. United are now in a position back where they were with Mourinho, but without a manager with his pedigree and reputation in charge.

 

[RuudTom83]

Do we know this for sure? Is there evidence that previous managers even asked for this and if so that Ed then refused them? Do we have evidence that Ole has also made this request has been given a different answer to his predecessors?

When Jose was okay with Martial leaving, it’s not too far fetched to think Woody and Co. probably responded with doubt about Jose knowing what a “united player” is.

However if Ole said Martial is not fit to lace Giggs boots and he can leave...I expect his opinion to carry more weight.

But of course this is just my take on the topic, everyone on this forum knows very little.

 

[fps]

First, Ole needs to settle on his formation and players suitable for each position and back up positions. Otherwise I am not sure how he will phase out unwanted players.

Playing 3 forwards thus sacrificing a midfielder is inexplicable. That too when these forwards have no understanding between them. That is managerial mistake.

Things were relatively better when initially he played rash and martial. Then he played lukaku and rash. Now I don't see any compelling reason yesterday to play all 3 together from go.

Agree - ironically, putting more attackers on the pitch will often create a disconnection between midfield and attack, and weaken the attack, because there is no control in midfield, and control of the midfield wins games.

 

[ForestRGoinUp]

We did that with our last manager and it failed miserably.

I don't think Ole exactly fits that profile either but until we sort out everything that's wrong with the club, I'm not sure any manager can do much.

I don't like him (and I certainly don't mark these as great accomplishments), but...Europa title, League Cup, Second place to best league team ever only to then be told by your board there won't be any further investment. That failure wasn't only on Jose.

 

[redIndianDevil]

Exactly. The pressing Pep for example uses has them firstly choke off passing options with two to three players in an almost triangle formation before slowly closing in. It's methodical. It's not Carlos Tevez type mad dog pressing that people think and I'm a bit shocked some managers seem to think so

Even our fans seem to think like that, most people think if they all run around madly like Young or Lingard or Rashford then it's pressing, it's not. Working hard and pressing are always equated as same by most people here, it's not.

Solksjaer is making the same mistake Mourinho did, he is setting his defence too deep but expects his attackers to press higher up the pitch, this always causes a huge hole in the midfield when we lose the ball and when we get the ball back, the attackers and midfielders are far apart resulting in us hoofing it forward.

 

[elnorte]

When Jose was okay with Martial leaving, it’s not too far fetched to think Woody and Co. probably responded with doubt about Jose knowing what a “united player” is.

However if Ole said Martial is not fit to lace Giggs boots and he can leave...I expect his opinion to carry more weight.

But of course this is just my take on the topic, everyone on this forum knows very little.

Cheers

 

[redIndianDevil]

https://www.skysports.com/football/...unnar-solskjaers-appointment-says-danny-mills

Danny Mills is right.

 

[breakout67]

When Jose was okay with Martial leaving, it’s not too far fetched to think Woody and Co. probably responded with doubt about Jose knowing what a “united player” is.

However if Ole said Martial is not fit to lace Giggs boots and he can leave...I expect his opinion to carry more weight.

But of course this is just my take on the topic, everyone on this forum knows very little.

That's the problem isn't it. Making decisions off who is the biggest club legend instead of being an expert in the field. I can guarantee that Moaninho knows more about assessing a player than Ole.

I firmly believe that Moaninho despite him being a bitter cnut has a player figured out after managing him for two seasons and 81 games. It's not as if he barely gave Martial a chance like KdB, Salah or Lukaku. He gave Martial a good go and found him wanting.

 

[BrianMcClair'sBarnet]

I wish Ole would stop revisiting the past with his nostalgia anecdotes about the Fergie days.He did this again yesterday bringing in the likes of Giggs,Scholes and Beckham into the conversation and it just felt cringey and,frankly,sad.

We used to cringe and laugh at Dalglish being teary eyed about his Liverpool glory days when he was the Reds manager and now we are seeing the same delusions from our own new manager.Stop bringing the past into the conversation.Its about the here and now.

These anecdotes are good for a after speech meal but when you're a manager it just seems desperate and reaching.

 

[Peter van der Gea]

I'm not saying that it's the case with everyone, but I do see some hypocrisy with some posters. They moan about the same managers carouselling around between clubs (normally referencing lower level managers like Roy Hodgson or Sam Allardyce), but then moaning when a club does give a younger manager a chance.

Guardiola only managed Barcelona B before they gave him a chance with the first team, Solskjaer has managed our reserves as well as Cardiff and Molde, and Cardiff aside has been successful.

We've tried "Premiership-Tested" in Moyes, "Globally-Renowned-Team-Builder" in Van Gaal, "Globally-Renowned-Instant-Success-Bringer" in Mourinho, we've now got a chance to try a "Manchester-United-Way" manager with someone who has worked with our reserves and has had success, titles and European experience with another club.

People say Solskjaer doesn't have a game plan, I remember SAF's United at their height being described as a team who just gets the ball wide, attacks quick and bum-rush the goal. I'm sure a style will emerge, and fairly sure it will be closer to SAF "style" (which I think was more of a mentality anyway), but it'll take more than a couple of months to instill.

In addition to that, I remember that SAF used to learn about the families of potential signings to get a deeper understanding of the mentality of the player. I doubt that's been done over the last 6 years and hasn't that been the problem with new signings? Attitude, not ability?

 

[Rhyme Animal]

Very strange opinion. LVG and Mourinho with their extensive knowledge of managing title winning teams was rebuffed by Woodward, but Ole won't be? I think it is actually the opposite, Ole was hired because he could be easily rebuffed. He's fine with a few seasons in the top 4, as long as we play youth, attack and work hard. Modest work in the transfer market is fine with him.

Moaninho wanted a CB and RW last summer. That meant that he wanted to make 4 signings to add to the team that finished on 81 points. He wanted to challenge then and there, not wait for a process.

Completely correct. Well said.

It's getting to the point where even rival fans that I know in real life are getting annoyed with the Glazer's and Woodward's decisions... genuinely.

 

[Escobar]

It was always wrong to appoint him that early but on the other side, most were crying out loud for it to happen asap

 

[BrianMcClair'sBarnet]

It was always wrong to appoint him that early but on the other side, most were crying out loud for it to happen asap

Damned if you do,damned if you dont.

 

[Celoti23-81]

I'm not saying that it's the case with everyone, but I do see some hypocrisy with some posters. They moan about the same managers carouselling around between clubs (normally referencing lower level managers like Roy Hodgson or Sam Allardyce), but then moaning when a club does give a younger manager a chance.

Guardiola only managed Barcelona B before they gave him a chance with the first team, Solskjaer has managed our reserves as well as Cardiff and Molde, and Cardiff aside has been successful.

We've tried "Premiership-Tested" in Moyes, "Globally-Renowned-Team-Builder" in Van Gaal, "Globally-Renowned-Instant-Success-Bringer" in Mourinho, we've now got a chance to try a "Manchester-United-Way" manager with someone who has worked with our reserves and has had success, titles and European experience with another club.

People say Solskjaer doesn't have a game plan, I remember SAF's United at their height being described as a team who just gets the ball wide, attacks quick and bum-rush the goal. I'm sure a style will emerge, and fairly sure it will be closer to SAF "style" (which I think was more of a mentality anyway), but it'll take more than a couple of months to instill.

In addition to that, I remember that SAF used to learn about the families of potential signings to get a deeper understanding of the mentality of the player. I doubt that's been done over the last 6 years and hasn't that been the problem with new signings? Attitude, not ability?

With all due respect, “the United way” won't get the better of Guardiola and Klopp. The game has changed dramatically since those Barcelona glory years. SAF couldn't get pass a Guardiola side in 2 finals. Albeit with Messi. But we need to get pass this United way, or it will just hinder us forever.
Fine if it's in terms of personality and a mentality, but playing style, No no no. The best teams in Europe have evolved to be a great passing, technical side that can also destroy teams on the counter.

We are now even looking at keepers that are ball players. In a space of 2 years De Gea seems old fashioned.

 

[Peter van der Gea]

With all due respect, “the United way” won't get the better of Guardiola and Klopp. The game has changed dramatically since those Barcelona glory years. SAF couldn't get pass a Guardiola side in 2 finals. Albeit with Messi. But we need to get pass this United way, or it will just hinder us forever.
Fine if it's in terms of personality and a mentality, but playing style, No no no. The best teams in Europe have evolved to be a great passing, technical side that can also destroy teams on the counter.

There was a time when the WM formation was the way forward, all styles come and go. We don't need to copy Guardiola's style, we need to beat it, just like we had to beat the Italian style in the 90's. If that's quick, clinical, committed counter-attacking football, great

 

[Thebaldingbob]

Ole has inherited a mishmash of players brought in by his predecessors, Moyes, Van Gaal and Mourinho.Let’s face it, some of these players were just panic buys, without any kind of plan of where they would fit into the team long term.

Some of our squad look like they don’t want to be there, and the others just aren’t good enough!

Even when City are winning 4-0 their players are still constantly chasing back trying to win that ball back.
Our lot just stroll about looking like they couldn’t care less about the result. These guys are not fit to wear the shirt!!
There’s no quick fix to this problem, but Ole needs to clear out the lazy Prima Donnas, starting with Pogba.
Ole’s biggest problem is sorting out our abysmal defence.
I wish him well on what will be a very long road to recovery. And I for one can’t see United winning anything for years.