On the eve of the biggest match of the year, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has issued a major challenge to his squad. Will they now rise up and meet the moment tomorrow night against RB Leipzig in the Champions League?
United need a result here, period, in order to go through, so the Norwegian put out the call for players who play for the badge, not the name on the back of the shirt.
Manchester United vs RB Leipzig UCL Group Stage FYIs
Kickoff: Tue. Dec. 8, 8pm BST, Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
United starting XI Prediction: go to this link
Team news for both sides: go to this link
UCL Form Guide: United LWLWW Leipzig WLWLW
“The players are Manchester United players because they have qualities we’ve looked for,” Solskjaer told a press conference today.
“I’m sure they will prove the reasons why they’re here, they will show it. The character of the group is getting better and better.
“It’s something we want, games like this, it’s a tradition for Man United, we never make it easy for ourselves.”
Obviously, a big part of part of finding and creating that motivation rests with the Norwegian himself, as it’s his duty to make these guys buy in to the team concept.
The same day OGS made these remarks Paul Pogba’s agent undermined the club by creating a massive distraction, saying how his client is going to leave the club. After Solskjaer, the other individual who is most tasked with leading the players is team captain Harry Maguire.
“I joined this club for the biggest game possible,” Maguire said. “You step up in those pressure games, the big players step up in the big games.”
The center back likened this match to the one that got them there in first place- a win over Leicester City in the season finale, a 2-0 result that saw them clinch third in the table, and with it a UCL birth.
“It’s similar to Leicester last year where we had to go and get a result to reach the Champions League. We feel ready and prepared and we’re looking forward to it,” the Englishman added.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, 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,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.