WAVING WHITE FLAG IS NOT THE UNITED I KNEW
AFTER second-placed Manchester United’s 3-3 draw with Everton last week, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: ‘We’re not talking about winning the title. We’ve come a long way with this team and we should not be considered title contenders.’ That is not an attitude I associate with Old Trafford. When I was a youth-team player at Manchester City, we felt the United lads were cocky and had football arrogance.
Later on, I became friends with Chris Eagles, Aaron Burns and Fraizer Campbell, who all came through at United and are a similar age to me.
I asked them where the attitude came from. They all said the same thing. Every day they were at training, the message was were never part of that culture, but now it feels like they make excuses all the time if something goes wrong.
Reds will dismiss me as a ‘Bitter Blue’ but I have the greatest respect for their club. When Solskjaer was criticised at the beginning of the season, I stuck up for him. When they’ve had big victories, I’ve always been positive about them. I raise the point now because his words were so surprising. How can Manchester United not be considered title contenders? They are five points behind City with 15 games to go. They play each other at the Etihad in three weeks — why wave the white flag now?
It’s not United’s way to concede. United have been in transition since Sir Alex Ferguson retired (in 2013) but, no matter how much the people at a club change, the values should never alter.
Let’s be honest. If you sign for United it’s because you think you can win the Premier League. Harry Maguire left Leicester because he felt it was the final step forward. Edinson Cavani did not join from Paris Saint-Germain just to see out time. Are you telling me he’d be happy to sit back and settle for second? Perhaps there was some reverse psychology in Solskjaer’s words and he is telling his squad privately they are ready to attack with everything they have. The thing that sticks in my mind, though, is the way they performed at Anfield last month. Liverpool were vulnerable and had key players missing. Anfield was empty — arguably no other stadium in England has been so dramatically changed by having no fans — and the opportunity was there to take advantage. But United were too passive. Their players be ready to deliver. In a one-match shootout, they are capable of beating anyone, as they showed away at PSG in the Champions League match in October. But where has the belief gone to show performances like that can be sustained?