Solskjaer facing FA Cup headache
Manchester City venture into unknown at Newport
Manchester United have lost five times to Chelsea in the FA Cup and the last of United’s eight Cup victories over the Blues came almost exactly two decades ago, in the 1999 quarter-finals, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in the team.
Within the next month Solskjaer’s side will play key games against Chelsea, Paris St-Germain and Arsenal away from home and against Liverpool at Old Trafford, with the period ending with either a home match with Manchester City in the league, an FA Cup quarter-final or a few days off, depending on results here and at Newport County this weekend.
By its end we will know if the ‘Solskjaer Bounce’ was just a temporary elevation or whether the genial Norwegian has successfully coaxed this previously pedestrian team into taking flight.
The first match of the run, against PSG on Tuesday, brought something of a reality check and also a couple of unwelcome injuries, with Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial both limping off, which may force Solskjaer into some fixture prioritisation. It will be interesting to see where this one ranks, given that United’s chances of silverware this season almost certainly hinge on it
Quite what City’s matchday squad will make of Rodney Parade when they step off their coach and make the long walk towards the away dressing-room before their match against Newport County is anyone’s guess.
“Anything can happen in one game, especially away from home,” City manager Pep Guardiola said. “I’ve seen Newport’s last few games and they are incredible at setpieces. What they do, they do really well. They are taller and stronger than us and, in some areas, might be better than us, so we will have to make sure we play our own game and not theirs and focus on what we are good at.”