Solskjaer says Man United remain a work in progress
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said his team are still a “work in progress” despite their impressive4-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday.
The Reds were considered lucky to be leading 1-0 at half-time through a Marcus Rashford penalty.
But United improved after the break as Frank Lampard’s first match in charge of the Blues ended in disaster.
“We know we’re not anywhere near the finished article,” Solskjaer said.
“We are working on improving as a team and finding a style that suits us a team. We still need time but it is coming.
“Winning is a habit. We are lucky to go in 1-0 up but in the second half our nerves settled, our confidence grew.”
Solskjaer’s team finished sixth in the Premier League last season, 32 points adrift of champions Manchester City and five behind Tottenham in the race for Champions League qualification.
England international Maguire, now the world’s most expensive defender after joining for £80m last week, was named the man of the match after a commanding display.
Wan-Bissaka, a £50m signing, also looked assured on his first competitive start, while Wales international James marked his debut with a goal seven minutes after coming on as a substitute.
“Harry has done exactly what we’ve signed him for, his presence in both boxes, his calmness and composure on the ball,” Solskjaer added.
The performance of Paul Pogba, a somewhat divisive figure whose future was unclear over the summer, was also praised by Solskjaer after the France midfielder set up Rashford’s second goal with a pinpoint long pass.
“Paul can do everything a midfielder can,” Solskjaer said.
“Paul can do many jobs, he can do an attacking midfield job and against Chelsea he was more of a link player.
“He’s a top lad and such a professional who loves playing football. When he gets onto that pitch he grows.”
Lampard says Chelsea made too many mistakes
Chelsea’s 4-0 defeat at Old Trafford on Sunday was their biggest defeat by United since 1965.
As to new manager Frank Lampard, it was the worst Premier League managerial debut since Gustavo Poyet’s Sunderland were beaten 4-0 at Swansea in October 2013.
It was the biggest defeat a Chelsea manager had endured in his first game since Danny Blanchflower’s team was beaten 7-2 by Middlesbrough in December 1978.
It was the heaviest Premier League loss Lampard has been part of since West Ham lost 7-1 at United in April 2000.
These were qall negatives, but there were also some positives.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted his team were “lucky” to be leading at half-time.
Lampard said: “There were lots of elements about today that I liked,” he said. “We were intense in our pressure. We won the ball back high in lots of areas. We dominated the midfield. For big spells in the first half they couldn’t get out. But football is won and lost in the boxes. They won it by being clinical.”
The statistics show that Chelsea had more possession. They had more corners. They had more shots. And they had more shots on target.
Lampard’s starting line-up contained three home-grown players - Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Andreas Christensen. Another - Fikayo Tomori - was on the bench.
“I believe we have really talented young players but, let’s be clear, with the injuries we have and the fact we couldn’t bring in players, this is a work in progress - to a degree. We will have to learn harsh lessons and correct them pretty quickly,” he said.
It doesn’t get any easier for Chelsea.
They play Champions League winners Liverpool in Istanbul in the UEFA European Super Cup tomorrow before a Stamford Bridge encounter with Leicester next Sunday.
Before September is out, they play a Premier League tough match against Liverpool and then another against Wolves.