Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer discussed many things during his pre-match conference, one of them was in regards to his defensive injuries.
Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane are the two who almost certainly won’t feature, which is a major blow in the legendary Norwegian’s plans for the 3-5-2 formation he has employed recently.
Below are a few highlights from the press conference:
🗣 Bruno Fernandes: “Solskjær is a great, great person and I think everyone knows the human part of him. I think it's normal people get upset that the results don't come but it's too easy to blame only the coach. We go on the pitch, we should do better.” [Sky Sports]
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) November 5, 2021
🗣 Solskjær: “He [Ronaldo] is one of the best players who ever walked on this planet. His impact has been absolutely immense. How people can say it is a negative, I don’t get that one. He is a top professional.”
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) November 5, 2021
🗣 Solskjær: “He's [Lindelöf] still uncertain. I hope he can be ready. I expect he will be ready, but I can't promise you.”
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) November 5, 2021
🗣️ Solskjær on the Liverpool defeat: "We've moved on from that one, of course, it's gonna be in the history books but we've had a good week, good results away from home, different games, we've got to go in this game believing we can do good things."
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) November 5, 2021
🗣️ Solskjær: "When I stepped in the doors here in December 2018, three years ago, there's been speculation ever since, that's no problem, we've moved on from Liverpool, it's a dark moment in our careers, we've had a good two weeks."
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) November 5, 2021
🗣️ Solskjær on his record against Guardiola: "No, you look at the next game. I'm not one to talk about what I've done, I've got great respect and admiration for Pep and what he's done. We've had some good results and tight games, we need another performance like this."
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) November 5, 2021
Bruno Fernandes comments on Solskjaer being a nice person is exactly what some fans take issue with. Many have actually praised the former striker’s man-management and it’s actually his tactical acumen that’s being questioned.
The Portuguese magician as well as his teammates have always praised the manager’s character rather than his know-how or training sessions or plans.
Solskjar saying the team have moved on from Liverpool is certainly his attempt to get his players to forget their wounds and attempt to turn things around.
However, it comes off a touch poorly because fans have definitely not forgotten the result and if he fails to get a win vs Manchester City then they expect him to be fired.
Solskjaer’s record vs Pep Guardiola is a positive but there aren’t many who aren’t expecting a mauling at Old Trafford.