THE GOOD OLE DAYS
Old Trafford is buzzing again but Solskjaer insists there’s still so much more to come
TWO wins from two, eight goals scored and Old Trafford buzzing like it did in the good old days.
Yet Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists Manchester United can still improve as he continues to rebuild the club after Jose Mourinho’s ruinous final months in charge.
The Norwegian is not getting carried away by his flying start to his spell as caretaker boss and has been busy identifying areas where they can do better.
He noted Cardiff and Huddersfield scored from set-pieces and knows United can defend these situations better.
Solskjaer wants clean sheets and United have managed just two in their last 16 games.
He also wants them to be more consistent and they are sixth in the Premier League, eight points off the top four, because they cannot string a run of wins together.
Victory over Bournemouth tomorrow at Old Trafford would see United record three successive league wins for the first time since March.
“There are things we need to improve and we’re in this position for a reason because we’ve not been consistent enough,” said Solskjaer.
“We’ve not been able to keep clean sheets, we’ve not scored enough goals and we’ve conceded two goals at setpieces now.
“That part, the open part of defending, has been good, but we need to get back to the habit of not conceding goals.
“There are loads of things. In a team you always look for things to improve on.”
Solskjaer has replaced the sterility of Mourinho with attacking football, but he was at pains to play down his role.
The Norwegian claims he has merely tried to boost the players’ confidence in his chats with them.
“I’m coming in from the outside and it’s hard to make a difference,” he said modestly.
“My job has been to speak to the players, to try to get to know their feelings, know their confidence levels and how they feel because every single one has a responsibility to improve.”
Solskjaer is also restoring harmony to the dressing room after Mourinho took a flame thrower to it with his constant public attacks.
He is bringing back those exiled by Mourinho and confirmed Antonio Valencia will return as captain when he recovers from a gashed leg.
Valencia fell foul of Mourinho in September for liking a message posted by one of his friends on social media, calling for his manager’s head. The Ecuador defender has not played a single minute in the Premier League since, but Solskjaer insists he remains one of the best right-backs in the business.
“Antonio is the captain when fit,” said the United caretaker boss. “He’s going through a couple of tough sessions now to get him ready for the busy period.
“There are not many better right-backs going forward, so you’ll see him wearing his band again.”