Ole Gunner Solskjaer accused United’s player of reverting back to Mourinho days after their 2-1 defeat to Wolves.
Manchester United have performed with zest and purpose under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in a stark difference to dark life under previous manager Jose Mourinho.
The 56-year-old won two trophies during his time at Old Trafford in the form of the EFL Cup and Europa League crowns. But the Norwegian Interim boss Solskjaer failed to steer his side past Wolves on Saturday, with Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota on target for the home side.
It was a second consecutive defeat for the Red Devils, who had previously been beaten 2-0 by Arsenal in a Premier League showdown at the Emirates Stadium.
The current day football often lacklustre and a far cry to the adventurous days of the Sir Alex Ferguson era. And reports say Solskjaer laid into their sloppy display, accusing them of going back to the Mourinho days. The Norwegian also reportedly told his team to use the international break to analyse their own performances.
It was United’s slow style which irritated Solskjaer more than the result, calling out the players for falling back into bad habits impressed upon them by Mourinho in his two and a half years at Old Trafford. Solskjaer was, understandably, tetchy after the defeat to Wolves.
The FA Cup means a lot to the 46-year-old who lifted the prize twice during his playing days in 1999 and 2004 respectively. And Solskjaer admitted his side had taken a step backwards after the chastening defeat at Molineux. Solskjaer did, though, praise Wolves for their defiant display.
United’s boss said in the post-match interview:
“Quite a lot was a missing today, it was the poorest performance we’ve had, it was a big step backwards. We never had the urgency and quality on the ball even though without the ball in the first half we did ok. We felt too comfy in possession, we never managed to put their keeper or defenders under pressure.
We had a couple of balls in behind for Rashford but not enough quality.
I think it’s something natural. You cannot perform to the top of your level every single time. It’s still against a good team, they’ve done really well against top teams, don’t take anything away from them even though we under-performed, so I don’t think that’s part of it at all.”
Author’s take:
Rather than the slick counter-attacking style his side have won games with in recent weeks, United played a ponderous game, allowing Wolves to dominate. But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a wise man despite losing two games in a row, things can turn around positively for Manchester United.
The Red Devils have a chance left this season, with a champions League quarter finals against Barcelona that could earn Solskjaer a long-term stay at the club.