Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who maintains that his team is definitely not concerned with the Premier League title race right now, has provided an explanation on why we’ve seen so many different lineups from him this season.
We’re entering the final days of festive fixtures, where the games come fast and furious, and that means all managers must do some squad rotation in order to keep the guys’ legs fresh and prevent injuries.
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However, this isn’t a priority just for the specific period that we’re in right now. With the three month pause in 2020 for coronavirus, Project Restart and then the delayed start to this season, it’s going to be a whole term with an increased workload.
“We have a strong squad and have rotated a lot,” Solskjaer said today at his news conference ahead of the home clash with Aston Villa.
“We’ve not really called it a settled XI because I don’t think this season is going to be about that anyway.
“It’s going to be about the squad. It’s going to be about the 25 players. Players will have to be angry with me until the next time they play because, believe you me, they’re not happy when I tell them they’re starting on the bench. I think towards the end of the season that will help us.”
So who gets in the team versus who gets left out? The Norwegian said it’s going to be about who is playing for the badge and shows commitment.
“We have competition for places which means you cannot go around and think you can just fake your way being part of this team,” Solskjaer continued.
“You only deserve to be in a team that you contribute to.
“I think everyone has realised they are privileged to be part of Man United, such a fantastic club with a fantastic history. When you’re here, enjoy it as much as you can and maybe you’ll experience some fantastic times.”
An emphasis will be placed on leadership, desire and intangibles sometimes.
“You’ve got winners like Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic,” OGS added.
“They don’t play every single game but they are so influential in the group and the build-up to games and during games when they’re not playing.”
So in other words, predicting the first team for United is going to be a lot of fun the rest of this campaign, because you just don’t know what you’re going to get.
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.