After sacking Jose Mourinho as Manchester United Manager, Ole was appointed in December 2018 to takeover temporarily.
It was never going to be easy replacing Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, in my opinion is a great manager, but something was wrong, it happens, which does not mean he is not a good fit, rather there was no connection with him, the coaching staff and players.
Ole having played under Sir Alex Ferguson, knows what it means to be “UNITED”, it goes beyond wearing the jersey but a mentality. With such confidence, Ole’s first task I would say was to instill confidence to his players, make them understand the culture, history, fans and who they are when they are on the pitch.
Watching Sir Alex Ferguson and his team on pitch, a lot of fans came up with “FERGIE TIME”,but I believe it was always about the “UNITED MENTALITY”, is not over until it is. Old Trafford was a FORTRESS under Sir Alex. Ole was part of the setup, and was known as “BABY ASSASSIN”.
Is one thing to understand the game, the club and play the UNITED way and also be a successful player which Ole achieved, but its another thing to understand the game, manage the players, instill confidence, right line-up, right tactics and make the right substitutions.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would not have all the time to pass down his philosophy cause every manager has their philosophy about how to play, he needs the right players and if he feels he does not have them, he would need massive overhaul but will have to be careful with his transfers.
Ole needs help with Manchester United not having a Sporting Director, who understand the game. Ed Woodward can manage the business side of United and is not a sporting director. Manchester United at some point will have to bring in a team of football professional to assist Ole in building his team. On the other hand, United fans will have to be patient with Ole and stand by him.
Question about Ole that would need answer;
a. Does he have what it takes to bring success to Manchester United.
I guess this will require giving him everything he needs, starting with appointing a Sporting Director, players he feels that can carry out his plan and united philosophy on pitch. This will require gradual process, but Ole can understands managers do not have luxurious time and will need to hit the ground running.
In general, fans should not be in a haste to compare Ole to Zidane who delivered Three Uefa Champions League trophies after his appointment, Zidane had a team Jose Mourinho built, Carlo Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez also managed the team, with little ins and outs on transfers to the initial Jose Mourinho built team. Ole has a new project different from any club.
Having seen Ole after his appointment, and his 12 Matches unbeaten run before his first Premier League defeat at the Emirate Stadium, I felt some of his substitutions and tactical approach overall were wrong and but I can say with the available players at his disposal and based on fitness (because he and his staffs can determine who is fit) could be one of the factors to tactics, therefore it all goes down to giving Ole what he needs and time to work on his team.
Overall, I feel Manchester United have to give Ole enough time unlike previous managers who they have fired. He needs a lot to be SUCCESSFULL. United fans, there is no quick fix to achieving the success seen under SIR ALEX FERGUSON. An example will be Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, who got Liverpool appointment in 2015 and is yet to win a trophy, the progress at Anfield Stadium has been remarkable. With the team Klopp has, I can say aside Manchester City, Liverpool seem to be the favourite for 2019/2020 Premier League Title for now, depending on other clubs transfers.
Manchester United is a great club which grew with Sir Alex Ferguson to enjoy all the success achieved in Premier League and Europe. Ole has to hit the ground running with the 2019/2020 season looming. I am eager to see which players and what positions Ole brings in players because I know he needs to overhaul his team, with just a few outstanding players and upcoming talents.
Anthony Kay
Sport Analyst.
Anthony Kay 