Solskjaer: The mask has fallen
(Baonghean.vn) - The glamorous mask that the Norwegian strategist had built during his temporary period leading the Red Devils was quickly removed after a series of poor performances by the team at the "Theater of Dreams".
Solskjaer had a perfect honeymoon when the Norwegian strategist took over as interim coach of the Red Devils of Manchester. Since sacking "The Special One" Mourinho due to a series of poor results at the beginning of the season and bringing Solskjaer in as interim coach, the Old Trafford team has made surprising changes.
During that time, Manchester United played a total of 19 matches on all fronts, won 14, drew 2 and lost 3, scored 40 goals, conceded 12 goals, including an 11-match unbeaten streak. Those are completely superior parameters compared to the early stages of the season under coach Mourinho, and are also the reason why the Manchester United Board of Directors trusted to officially sign a contract with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
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| Solskjaer helped the Red Devils of Manchester revive strongly as interim coach. Photo: REUTERS |
It can be said that during this period, the 46-year-old strategist quickly breathed new life into the team that was exhausted, lacking vitality and confidence under the Portuguese strategist. Instead, it was a fiery, liberal attacking style of play with the "passing like Man" - the brand that helped the Red Devils become the most popular football team in the world under Sir Alex.
With that impressive streak of form, many experts and fans expected the former Manchester United player to help the Old Trafford team regain its lost glory.
However, “the joy was short-lived”. After a series of successful days, the Red Devils showed their true colors and followed in the footsteps of their predecessors. Even more sadly, Man Utd’s decline came at the exact time the Norwegian strategist was officially appointed to lead the Red Devils of Manchester.
According to statistics, in the last 9 matches in all competitions, Manchester United lost 6 matches, and only enjoyed the joy of victory 3 times. It is worth mentioning that those victories were not really convincing and had a lot of luck.
The reason for the Red Devils' poor performance during the time the Norwegian strategist was officially appointed as head coach is no different from the failures of his predecessor Mourinho.
The Red Devils lacked motivation and had no breakthroughs in their play. They fell into a situation of “dull attack and poor defense” when the players on the offensive line did not show cohesion, played ineffectively and the defense was a real disaster.
While the Norwegian strategist was in temporary charge, he helped players like Paul Pogba, Matial, Marcus Rashford, Lindelof, Luke Shaw... release invisible pressure to play at their best, but when he was appointed as the official captain, these players returned to the same weak, soulless performance they had shown under Mourinho.
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| The Norwegian strategist's sadness after Manchester United's series of poor performances. Photo: Getty |
It seems that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has lost the tactical brilliance he had when he was interim manager. After signing the official contract, things have taken a different turn. Sometimes the pressure is really heavy on the shoulders, people are no longer as clear-headed as before. The binding string has made an attacking philosophy like Solskjaer become more cautious.
On the other hand, the opponents of the Red Devils of Manchester have also grasped the shortcomings of this young strategist, which are the lack of experience in tactics, the lack of sensitivity in analyzing situations, leading to mistakes in approaching the match and adjusting the playing style.
That is why, in the series of matches that the Norwegian strategist was officially appointed as captain, the Red Devils could no longer maintain the same fiery fighting spirit as before. They easily lost twice to Volverhampton in the domestic arena and Barcelona in the Champions League; before that, they also lost to PSG at home in the first leg of the 1/16 round of the most prestigious arena in the continent.
Most recently, the 46-year-old coach's team suffered another disastrous defeat against Everton. This shameful defeat caused the Red Devils of Manchester to set a number of sad records. Including the 4 times they conceded at Goodison Park, De Gea has conceded 48 goals in just 34 Premier League matches this season - the most for a Man Utd goalkeeper in the Premier League era.
In football, the line between success and failure is very fragile, Solskjaer did his job well as a substitute, but failed when he was appointed as head coach. It was the invisible pressure when sitting on the "hot seat" at Old Trafford that made the flashy mask that Solskjaer had during his temporary time leading the Red Devils unable to cover up the shortcomings of this young strategist.