Either Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer doesn’t “get it,” or he knows he’s so secure in his gig that he doesn’t need to “get it.” For at least the second time this season, the Norwegian made remarks about United results that convey just how out of sync he is with the expectations and standards of the fan base.
That’s quite puzzling, given how he’s a former player himself.
After the goalless draw at AZ Alkmaar in early October, a Europa League clash in which his side didn’t even register a shot on goal, OGS called it “a good point away from home against a difficult opponent.” He also added that he was “very pleased” with the result.
That was pretty tone deaf, but yesterday’s remarks, at his post match news conference, were equally bad, if not worse. Following a 2-2 draw at home against newly promoted Aston Villa, United now find themselves ninth, closer to the drop zone (six points above 18th place) than UCL qualification (eight points from fourth).
The team is off to its worst start in more than three decades.
“I wouldn’t have sat here and talked about us being fifth if we had got that one goal extra, so the league table at this point is not the biggest concern because it is so tight,” Solskjaer told the room of reporters.
“I just need to make sure that we get performances and get three or four performances after each other — and results.”
“What I can say is so far we have had the lead in so many games and we haven’t been able to win those games, six or seven times we’ve been 1-0 up, or 2-1 or 3-2 like last week [against Sheffield United].”
While he absolutely does have a point about how tight the table is right now, and there is plenty of parity, it’s utterly ridiculous to see a club of United’s pedigree and power middling in mediocrity right now.
“We should be better at seeing those games into wins,” he continued, sounding a little more on the same page as the club’s supporters.
“I think there’s loads of evidence these boys are closer to winning games than losing games and we have to tip those margins in our favor,” said Solskjaer.
At the end of the day, you are your record; full stop. The table matters because results matter, and he is paid handsomely to get results. What’s happened so far with Solskjaer’s side, just cannot happen at United; period. Solskjaer must publicly acknowledge to the MUFC community that he completely understands this.
Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur FYIs
Team news for both sides: go to this link
Starting XI Predictions: Tottenham Hotspur Manchester United
Kickoff: 7:30 BST, Dec. 3, Old Trafford
Google Result Probability: Manchester United win 34%, Draw 29%, Sheffield United win 37%
Form Guide: Tottenham- WWDDL Manchester United- DDWLW
Series history: 91 Manchester United wins 48 Draws 52 Tottenham Hotspur wins
Odds via Betfair Exchange: Manchester United win 15/8, Draw 5/2, Aston Villa 13/8
Prediction: Manchester United 2, Tottenham 2
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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