UNDER JOSE WE WERE A LAUGHING STOCK
NOW UNITED ARE SMILES BETTER, SAYS JONES
EVERYWHERE you turned at Craven Cottage, the smiles belonged to Manchester United. Funny that, for Phil Jones says they were a laughing stock under Jose Mourinho.
It is a withering statement from the defender, who often found himself the butt of those jokes from folk all too happy to revel in the misery of Mourinho and his suffering side.
The antidote, it seems, was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
‘It was tough for everyone involved, we might have been a bit of a laughing stock at the start of the season, but certainly not now,’ said Jones in the wake of the 3-0 win at Fulham, a 25th point from 27 under the caretaker boss.
‘Everyone is going to take us seriously now, we’ve proven that, and we’re still getting better.
‘There is just a positivity about the place, to grind results out when we’re not playing well, to play forward, to play with intent and purpose — and that’s exactly what we’re doing.
‘You can see it in every game, we’re creating a number of chances and putting them away.’
They were queuing up to deliver the same message, as Paul Pogba — another wearing a smile after his two goals — had his say on the upturn in mood, not to mention his own form.
‘It is Solskjaer’s joy,’ said the France midfielder, who has eight goals in nine games since the manager’s arrival in December.
‘He is just being himself. He is not playing or acting. He is giving joy to everyone. He is giving confidence to everyone — and you can see that on the pitch.’
After signing a five-and-a-halfyear contract two weeks ago, Anthony Martial thought it newsworthy to reveal that he shares a joke with Solskjaer about missing chances in training. In light of what had gone before, perhaps such levity is a big deal.
His goal here — a daring dribble and unerring finish — drew immediate comparison with a Cristiano Ronaldo effort at the same end in 2007.
Solskjaer accepts the likeness. ‘He does have similarities, of course,’ he said. ‘If he wants to be at Cristiano’s level, Anthony knows what he has to do. It is up to him. He has the talent.’
Solskjaer says he is glad that Martial is in his side and not lining up against United tomorrow.
Their Champions League opponents Paris Saint-Germain had been mooted as potential suitors, with Mourinho keen to offload the France forward in the summer. How ludicrous a judgment that now looks.
‘He is a Manchester United player,’ said Solskjaer, tellingly. ‘He excites the crowd. He excites the manager. He excites his team-mates. He is electric and his balance, his pace, everything about him...when you are a full back, you don’t want him running at you. And he is also a great character around the place.’
PSG will be without the injured Neymar tomorrow, their own exhilarating left-sided forward. But it says a lot about Solskjaer and United’s confidence right now that his absence is mourned rather than celebrated.
‘Unfortunately, he cannot play,’ said Solskjaer. ‘When you play against the best teams, you want to play against the best players. The crowd want to see the best players, so it’s too bad for Old Trafford. I have played there against Ronaldo and Luis Figo, that gives it an extra edge.’
Solskjaer refuses to set a target for the remainder of the season, yet on this evidence anything less than a top-four finish and even the last four of the Champions League would feel like a disappointment. And don’t forget the FA Cup.
For Fulham, the sound of fans booing Claudio Ranieri’s substitutions and then turning on the manager at full time felt like a club resigned to their fate. It has fast turned sour on the banks of the Thames and it is Fulham who are becoming a laughing stock. There were very few smiles from anyone connected to the club on Saturday.
The same could not be said of the visitors. A beaming Nemanja Matic emerged to claim there are ‘no limits’ to what they can achieve under Solskjaer.
The punchline to United’s season could yet be silverware.
FULHAM (3-4-3): Rico 5; Odoi 5, Le Marchand 4, Ream 5; Schurrle 5 (Christie 53min, 5), Chambers 6, Seri 5, Bryan 6 (Sessegnon 81); Vietto 6.5, Mitrovic 5, Babel 5 (Cairney 77, 5). Subs not used: Fabri, Anguissa, Kebano, Ayite. Booked: Bryan, Chambers, Mitrovic. Manager: Claudio Ranieri 5. MANCHESTER UNITED (4-3-3): De Gea 6; Dalot 6.5, Smalling 7, Jones 7, Shaw 7; MARTIAL 8.5 Subs not used: Rashford, Lingard. Martial 23.Herrera 7.5 (Bailly 85), Matic 8, Pogba 8 (McTominay 74, 6); Mata 6.5, Lukaku 6, (Sanchez 70, 6). Romero, Young, Scorers: Pogba 14, 65, Booked: De Gea, Matic. Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 7. Referee: Paul Tierney 6.