MOAN UNITED
Ole in danger of losing momentum as squad’s shortcomings shown up
AT the end of an afternoon that began as a celebration, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his players were left feeling more than a little deflated.
‘The dressing room was almost like a funeral,’ confessed Manchester United’s new permanent manager.
‘They were all sat there and it was very quiet. They were disappointed in their performance. It’s not like jubilation because we won and got the three points.
‘They all know this was belowpar, which is great because you want players to be honest with themselves. We know we can play so much better.’
This was a day to remind Solskjaer just how much work needs to be done after signing a three-year contract last week.
Having been outplayed by Wolves in the FA Cup a fortnight ago, United came back from the international break and had a similar experience on their own patch against Watford. The scoreline was harsh on Javi Gracia’s vibrant side who were on top for long periods.
‘Lucky’ and ‘awful’ were two words used by Luke Shaw to describe United, and it was hard to argue.
They return to Molineux in the Premier League tomorrow night with every right to feel wary of a Wolves team that face Watford in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday.
There is no mistaking the change in mood around Old Trafford. It was evident in the scene that greeted Solskjaer as he emerged into the sunshine as supporters unveiled a huge new 20LEGEND banner across the Stretford End, and it was still there at the end despite the nature of this victory.
But after back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Wolves, and a fortuitous win over Watford, the momentum he has brought to his old club is in danger of being lost if United cannot raise their game over the remaining seven Premier League fixtures and a highly-anticipated Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona.
‘We want to end the season on a high,’ said Solskjaer. ‘We’ve been the best team since just before Christmas with the amount of points we’ve got.
‘We’ve played most of the teams. By the end of the league, then we will have played everyone in my reign and that’s maybe a truer reflection of where we stand.’
After Louis van Gaal criticised Solskjaer for ‘parking the bus’ last week, United looked at their best on the counter-attack here.
The first goal came from Shaw’s excellent through ball into the path of Marcus Rashford who beat Ben Foster with a confident finish.
The feeling is that Solskjaer has no choice but to play this way in certain games because of the shortcomings in the squad he inherited. But were Van Gaal’s comments unfair?
‘Louis van Gaal is entitled to his opinion,’ he replied. ‘ The foundation in any team is to play well without the ball. If that’s high, low, medium pressure, sometimes we have to vary that.
‘If you can attack quickly like we did today, why not? As long as your intention is to attack when you win the ball.’
Anthony Martial bundled in the second after he picked himself off the floor before Foster to score.
The former United keeper worked under Solskjaer in United’s reserve team after being ‘bombed out of the first team’ by Sir Alex Ferguson towards the end of his time at Old Trafford, and knows just what the Norwegian brings to the role.
‘Everybody loves playing for him,’ said Foster. ‘You go out on the pitch with a smile on your face and a spring in your step.
‘ Management nowadays has evolved where players know what they’re doing. They just need somebody who can instil confidence and tell them they’re doing a good job.
‘That’s what they’ve been lacking in the last couple of years. It just seems a happier environment and that’s what Ole brings.’
Abdoulaye Doucoure’s goal came too late to make a difference, but it gave Watford some reward for a fine performance that augurs well for Wembley next weekend.
First, there is a home game against Fulham tomorrow night and Gracia is confident his players will stay focused on finishing as high up the table as possible after dropping two places to 10th.
‘I know what a big game it is for this club but we are in this situation because we’ve always given importance to the next game,’ said Gracia. ‘Now Fulham is the most important. We want to compete until the end for the position we are in at this moment.’