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Tag: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

  • Rashford, Martial give sloppy Manchester United win over Watford

    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrated his first game as permanent Manchester United manager with a 2-1 English Premier League (EPL) win over Watford at Old Trafford on Saturday.

    The victory helped his team to move back into the competition’s top four.

    It was a far from impressive performance from Manchester United, but goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial earned the victory which moved them up to fourth in the table.

    They are now level on points with third-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

    After a slow start, Manchester United took the lead in the 28th minute when Luke Shaw played a delightful through ball into the path of Rashford.

    The England international clipped the ball past advancing Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster.

    Watford enjoyed plenty of possession in Manchester United’s half and looked dangerous when breaking, without causing David De Gea too much work.

    Manchester United’s main problem was their midfield which barely operated as a unit.

    Read also: UEFA charges Neymar for “insulting’’ referee after PSG’s loss to Manchester United

    Neither the deep-lying Nemanja Matic nor Paul Pogba, in an advanced role, were anywhere near their best and that left the only effective route down the flanks.

    It was from a burst down the right wing that Manchester United made sure of the points, with Martial’s strike in the 72nd minute.

    Substitute Jesse Lingard’s low cross caused Martial and Foster to tangle for the ball, which fell kindly for the Frenchman who hooked home Manchester United’s second.

    Watford got some reward for their positive approach when Abdoulaye Doucoure slotted home in the 90th minute after an exchange of passes with substitute Isaac Success.

    “We were awful in the second half, we were lucky with the result,” said Shaw, one of Manchester United’s better performers.

    “The most important thing is the three points. We need to forget about the game today because we were not at our best at all,” added the England left back.

    Norwegian Solksjaer, handed a three-year contract on Thursday, has led Manchester United to 15 wins in 20 matches in all competitions since taking over as caretaker manager in December.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Paul Pogba:  Ole deserves Man United full-time job

     

    As if rubbing in his widely known cat and dog relationship with former Coach Jose Mourinho, France international and World cup winner Paul Pogba has described Manchester United caretaker coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the “man wey sabi” ( The one who knows the job as opposed to the special one).

    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer according to Pogba who has become a super performer for the Reds, ‘deserves’ the Manchester United job full-time after transforming the club during his three months as caretaker boss.

    Pogba admits the united players lost confidence and stopped enjoying their football under Jose Mourinho, who stripped the Frenchman of the vice-captaincy in September as their relationship turned sour.

    Solskjaer has engineered a remarkable turnaround, guiding United into the quarter-finals of the Champions League and giving his old club a strong chance of finishing in the top-four.

    No-one has benefitted as much as Pogba who was dropped to the bench at the end of Mourinho’s reign but has scored nine goals in 17 games under his Norwegian successor.

    Solskjaer has yet to be told by the Old Trafford hierarchy if he will be handed a long-term contract beyond the end of this season, but Pogba insists he has the players backing.

    ‘Of course we want him to stay,’ said United’s record £89million signing. ‘The results have been great. I have a great relationship with him; he has a great relationship with the players.

    ‘When a player is happy, he wants to keep being happy. Solskjaer deserves it. He knows the club; he knows everything about the club. He is a really happy coach that gave confidence back to the players.

    ‘This gave us the freedom to play and enjoy football again because maybe we lost that with the results that we had before.’

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Solskjaer insists United don’t fear Camp Nou test

    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United are not scared of playing the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona at the Camp Nou after drawing the Catalans on Friday.

    United were originally drawn to play at Barcelona in the first leg, which would have given them the safety net of playing the decisive return at Old Trafford.

    But with Manchester City due to play their quarter-final second leg against Tottenham at home in the same week, UEFA decided to make United host Barca in the first leg on April 10, after stipulating in advance following advice from local authorities that United and City could not play at home on successive nights.

    “I’m probably completely different to 99 per cent of managers, as I prefer away last like we had against PSG (in the previous round),” Solskjaer said.

    After losing 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain in Manchester, Solskjaer’s side claimed a stunning 3-1 second-leg victory in the French capital to progress to the last eight.

    “If you can get a decent result at home, then we know we can go away and hurt anyone like we did in Paris,” he added.

  • Sporting Life: Ade Ojeikere discusses latest on Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Pochettino

    The Nation Online Editor, Sunday Oguntola is joined by The Nation Newspaper Sports Editor, Ade Ojeikere to discuss:

    Ole Gunnar Solskjær
    Mauricio Pochettino
    Real Madrid
    Manchester United
    Philippe Coutinho

    UEFA Champions League

    Chinese Super League

    EPL

  • Pogba praises Solskjaer for revitalising Man Utd’s attack

    Manchester United have rediscovered their attacking verve under caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, midfielder Paul Pogba has said.

    Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in December and has made the most successful start by any manager in the club’s history, winning his first six games in all competitions.

    The 45-year-old has abandoned the stifling defensive approach favoured by Mourinho and tried to reinstate the free-flowing football that was the hallmark of Manchester United’s most successful sides under Alex Ferguson.

    “The way we are playing we have more possession of the ball. We know more where to attack and where to go.

    “We have more of a pattern of play and more of a structure. That makes it easier for everyone,” Pogba told Sky Sports ahead of Saturday’s English Premier League home game against Brighton and Hove Albion.

    Pogba, who was often asked to fill an unfamiliar defensive midfield role under Mourinho, has been granted greater attacking freedom by the Portuguese’s successor.

    Read Also: Pogba gets another double as Solskjaer extends perfect start

    The France midfielder has responded with four goals and four assists in his last five matches.

    Pogba also credited the form of goalkeeper David de Gea for their recent run.

    “He’s obviously one of the best, if not the best, goalkeepers in the world and when we need him he is there,” Pogba said.

    Manchester United Football Club is a professional football club based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester, England and competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football.

  • Manchester United appoint Solskjaer Caretaker Manager

    Former Manchester United striker, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, will return to Old Trafford as Caretaker Manager until the end of the season, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.

    United sacked Manager Jose Mourinho on Tuesday after the sixth-placed side made their worst start to a season for 28 years, culminating in a limp 3-1 loss to bitter rivals, Liverpool, at Anfield on Sunday.

    Norway international Solskjaer scored 126 goals for United from 1996-2007, with his most memorable contribution coming in the 1999 Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich when he netted an injury-time winner.

    “Manchester United is in my heart, and it’s brilliant to be coming back in this role,” the 45-year-old former Cardiff City Manager said in a statement.

    “I’m really looking forward to working with the very talented squad we have, the staff and everyone at the club.”

    Solskjaer will be joined by Mike Phelan, who returns as Assistant Manager, having previously worked alongside Sir Alex Ferguson for five seasons before leaving in 2013.

    Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna, both part of Mourinho’s backroom staff, will be retained at the club to work under Solskjaer.

    Read Also: Man United Sack Jose Mourinho

    “Ole is a club legend with huge experience, both on the pitch and in coaching roles,” United Executive Vice Chairman, Ed Woodward, said.

    “His history at Manchester United means he lives and breathes the culture here, and everyone at the club is delighted to have him and Mike Phelan back.

    “We are confident they will unite the players and the fans as we head into the second half of the season.”

    United face Solskjaer’s former side, Cardiff, in a Premier League clash on Saturday, the Norwegian coming up against a club he managed for nine months in 2014.

    The former striker’s appointment received the high-profile approval of Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg, who tweeted: “Finally confirmed! Great day for Norwegian football. Good luck keeping control of the Red Devils, @olegs26_ole”.

    Following the loss to league leaders, Liverpool, Manchester United (26 points) sit 19 points adrift of their rivals after 17 matches and 11 behind fourth-placed Chelsea.