IT’S SIMPLE FOR OLE
STOP SEEING EVERYTHING IN BLACK AND WHITE, UNITED BOSS TELLS HIS CRITICS
OLE GUNNAR Solskjaer has defended his Manchester United team and his management of the club in the wake of their midweek defeat by Young Boys, accusing critics of only ever viewing things in ‘black and white’.
The Norwegian presided over United’s first loss of the season in Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League reverse in Bern, despite the return of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Solskjaer, who has led United to the top of the Premier League but seen his side beaten in seven of 11 Champions League games in charge, said: ‘It doesn’t surprise me. You tend to, in the media, get judged by behaviours and outcomes rather than intentions. It’s always black and white.
‘The outcome decides which headline we’ll see. Very rarely is the game fantastic or really bad, it just hovers about good or not good enough.
‘We know expectations are high and we expect more of ourselves, the performance wasn’t up to our standard.’
Naysayers have pointed to a lack of a defined style under Solskjaer, when compared to their rivals Manchester City under Pep Guardiola. But the manager said: ‘Overarching philosophy? I don’t sit here and claim [to have that].
‘Football is a simple game, it’s about making good decisions, it’s about your qualities, it’s about being in a team and sometimes we look too much into the little intricacies.
‘It’s passion, it’s desire, it’s who wants to win that tackle, who wants to win that ball, which one of the strikers has the desire to get on the end of crosses.
‘You can talk about all sorts, it looks nice on paper, but when you get on the pitch, [it’s about] who wants to win.’
Sunday’s game at West Ham sees Jesse Lingard, who is reportedly seeking an exit in January, return to the scene of his successful loan spell last term. Lingard’s awful back pass gifted Young Boys their winner but Solskjaer wants him to stay.
‘He’s got one year left on his contract and the club is talking to him. We see him as a Man United player in the future.
‘We really want to see the best of Jesse this season, we support him and we hope to keep him,’ he said.