Time is not on Ole’s side as he plans for the new campaign
LATER this week Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will finally get to welcome his entire United squad back to Carrington for pre-season training, but the clock is already ticking quickly towards the start of the 2020/21 season.
The Reds returned to training last Wednesday, but with the Nations League games not finishing until tomorrow, it’s going be this Wednesday, at least, before the Reds boss has a full squad to put through their paces at the training ground.
This was always going to be a summer and a pre-season like no other, but that will give Solskjaer just 10 days to work with his squad before the first game of the Premier League season, at Crystal Palace on September 19.
United have the first weekend of the season off as a result of their European commitments going into August, but there is still a fear they will be punished for success on the continent by having less time than almost all of their ri rivals to prepare fo for the new se season.
Some of these players had just two weeks off after United’s Europa League semi-final defeat to Sevilla on August 16 and then reporting for international duty or returning to Carrington.
Given the hectic schedule that accompanied the return of the season from mid-June, a holiday and a rest was in order.
Instead, it was only a brief break, now the United squad will return marginally refreshed with only just over a week until the competitive action begins again.
It’s going to be fascinating to see how pre-season has affected different clubs. United’s players might not have lost much match sharpness given the short break, but the workload will surely catch up with them at some point, while it also doesn’t give the coaching staff much time to fine-tune tactical plans and developments for the new season.
United are yet to confirm whether they will fit in a pre-season friendly before the action begins, but if they want to play this coming weekend they will almost certainly need to find European opposition,
The United squad will return marginally refreshed with only just a week until the competitive action starts
given the rest of the professional game in England will be up and running by then.
In contrast, Liverpool were back for pre-season training before United had even finished the 2019/20 season.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have played three pre-season friendlies, as well as the Community Shield. Will that action have their competitive edges sharpened for the start of the new season, in a way that United’s will not? It’s possible.
The short pre-season break, particularly for the two Manchester clubs, has led to a rewrite of the usual pre-season plans. Liverpool fit into a camp in Austria, but United won’t be leaving Carrington. How much work can be done in 10 days? Is there a need for double sessions, given the squad only finished the season a few weeks ago? There’s no hard and fast rule to these new problems being faced by clubs, instead, it’s going to be a test for every manager.
Solskjaer will have to quickly gauge the fitness levels of his squad this week. He will want to drill new ideas and new plans into them, but he also knows the schedule will be brutal once more.
He wants his team to be the fittest in the league and he demands a significant workrate from them in games, but if he works them too hard now the tank could easily empty as this season progresses.
Getting this right in just a weekand-a-half will be a balancing act for Solskjaer. He wants momentum going into the new season, but a squad fit to last the rigours of a tough campaign as well.