FULL OF PRAISE FOR ‘SENSATIONAL’ JOB
Proved class means more than experience
HE might be Jurgen Klopp’s biggest rival – but the Kop boss is delighted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is at the wheel for Manchester United. The Liverpool manager believes Solskjaer has been a “sensational” appointment at Old Trafford and deserves credit for proving critics wrong when they questioned his credentials to manage United.
Ahead of the clubs’ Old Trafford clash today, Klopp watched United’s 6-2 Europa League win over Roma and said: “When the teams came out (for the second half), all the pundits and everybody was really flabbergasted that Ole didn’t change his team.then they scored five goals. So, yes, it is nice to see the quality of a manager is more important than the experience you have.
“If you have to have 50 Champions League games as a manager before you can take a job like Manchester United, then it would be really tricky to find one because there are not many coaches with that experience.
“If Ole wouldn’t have had that very successful history as a player at United, then probably not many people at United would have thought about him. But because he did a brilliant job at Molde and has a Manchester history, I think that was the idea and no one knew how it would work. But it worked out absolutely sensationally from the beginning, then with a little dip and now they look good.
“Of course he deserves credit for that, together with his coaches because it’s always a team effort, but they do really well and I am happy for him. I am really happy for a fellow manager who does really well and he has done.”
Klopp had to wait four seasons for his first trophy as Liverpool boss but is unsure if Solskjaer is feeling the pressure of waiting for his first silverware.
“I never felt pressure waiting for my first trophy, to be honest,” he said. “Individuals are all completely different so I have no idea how much pressure Ole thinks he has.
“Clearly on Sunday we want to win against United and that puts you under pressure.this kind of pressure we always have and Ole has as well.”