Europa League
Can Solskjaer drive the 2017 winners to the trophy?
When the Europa League quarter-finals get underway in Germany on August10, Manchester United will be favourites to go all the way.
The club sees itself as a Champions League outfit. The presence on the touchline of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – scorer of that winning goal against Bayern Munich in their dramatic comeback in the1999 final – is both testament to their glorious history and a reminder of better times.
Their last major trophy came in this competition in 2017, yet that was more significant for providing a route back into the Champions League than the trophy itself. This time things are different.
The 5-0 defeat of LASK in March, which all but secured their place in the last eight, was United’s final match before lockdown. At the time they lay in fifth place in the Premier League, three points away from fourth, with Wolves, Sheffield United, Tottenham and Arsenal all breathing down their neck. But they had at last begun to find some form – something had clicked. And after lockdown, that was even more evident with some scintillating displays.
Winning the Europa League this time around would be viewed differently. Lifting the trophy would be a mark of the progress that the club has made in 2020, and a hint at a return to Europe’s top table. Silverware in his first full season will be a tremendous boost for Solskjaer, particularly when comparing his record with those of more celebrated coaches who have been touted as his potential replacement – Mauricio Pochettino, for example.
This was hard to foresee at the start of the year. On January19, United were beaten 2-0 by their great rivals Liverpool, and three days later suffered the same scoreline at home to Burnley. They were booed off the pitch at Old
“It’s a big concern. You need it to build a squad. It’s not magic. You need to improve with quality, quality players in the squad and you need bigger squads to compete. There’s the challenge”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta voices his concern over whether the club’s owners will invest in big signings at the Emirates
Trafford and for Solskjaer, the writing seemed to be on the wall.
Yet the turnaround since then has been remarkable. Following that defeat, they went on a19-match unbeaten streak – a run which included two victories over Manchester City, another over Chelsea and a draw at Tottenham. They kept13 clean sheets, while scoring three or more goals nine times.
Central to the turnaround has been the emergence of several key players. Bruno Fernandes has settled in as quickly as his predecessor in United’s No.18 shirt, Paul Scholes. The early signs are that his partnership with Paul Pogba will bear fruit, following the Frenchman’s return from injury, while the creative potential of the pair has allowed Nemanja Matic to return to his best form as a defensive protector.
Marcus Rashford has made as many headlines off the pitch as on it, yet has easily registered his best season in terms of goals, as has Anthony Martial. The contribution of Mason Greenwood, the top-scoring teenager in this season’s Europa League, has made them one of Europe’s top scoring trios – notably ahead of Liverpool’s famed attack of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
The format should suit them. As with the Champions League, from the quarter-finals onwards this season’s Europa League will be staged as a “Super Eight” tournament in a single country, in this case Germany. Speaking after the draw, Solskjaer said: “I’m looking forward to it. It’s like a mini tournament. I’ve been involved in a European Championship and a World Cup so we’ll be living tight
Silverware in his first full season will be a tremendous boost for Solskjaer
together abroad. We’ve got staff here that have been involved in those kinds of tournaments so we’ll prepare really well.”
In terms of European football, the Norwegian is one of United’s most celebrated names. In Germany, he has the chance to add to his legend.