MANCHESTER UNITED TODAY
How much more positivity is needed by Manchester United after the clubs current unbeaten run of nine games in all competition.
5th place standing in the Premier League might not be a completely good reflection on the complete revitalization Manchester United have experienced under the watchful eye of interim manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer. However, taking into account that Manchester United are currently sitting in fifth with a point difference of 6 from third place dwellers Tottenham Hotspurs and anyone can understand why all the positive vibes surging from Old Trafford is possible. With loads of football still left to be played from January 2019 to May 2019, teams such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham will be constantly looking over their shoulder as Manchester United will be expected to continue to barrel through to make their way as high as third place in the Premier League table. The Red Devils experienced a massive bump on their last match against Burnley as Manchester United fought back to salvage a point against Burnley thanks to two very late goals by Paul Pogba and unexpected goal scorer Victor Linderlöff. Given the massively improved quality Manchester United have been operating with since the month of December 2018, the expectation was that Manchester United would be able to secure three points against a Burnley side sitting in 15th place in the Premier League table. 2 points were lost last week Tuesday but the massive test received at the hands of Burnley should be a massive wake up call that reminds Manchester United of the constant high-performance level demanded in every single match of the Premier League season.
This weekend sees Manchester United travel to the Craven Cottage stadium to take on yet another resilient football club in Fulham. Manchester United have shown continues difficulty in securing victories against teams sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table, therefore the strong possibility of Ole Gunner Solskjaer leading his team into yet another difficult match this Saturday is almost inevitable. During last week’s post-match press conference to the Burnley caretaker manager Ole Gunner was revisited with a question that was thrown to his direction earlier during his interim period- can Manchester United come back from a losing position? And the Norwegian manager threw a withy answer with a smile back in the direction of the reporter who presented the question “ I think you got your answer today”.
The answer might seem short and straight forward but to true red Manchester United fans, the answer is more than just a one-dimensional statement. Not only does the straight forward nature of the answer show preciseness and definitiveness but the answer gives a little glimpse of Ole Gunner Solskjaer wants to continue to implement in his short term as Manchester United manager. Also, should the true long term Manchester United fans listen to the statement from Ole Gunner Solskjaer once more they might have a little bit of a Sir Alex Ferguson type of response in Ole Gunner Solskjaer’ answer? This might continue to remind the Manchester United fans of the speculation which Ole Gunner Solskjaer himself has already all but confirmed that although Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson might have left the hot seat in the Managerial position at Manchester United, his influence on Manchester United is most likely beyond perishable.
Nostalgia is a vital aspect in sports today because nostalgia can always play a part in rejuvenating a team from a losing position to a massive victory at the sound of the final whistle in a match. While the importance of nostalgia can never be underestimated especially when Manchester United is concerned, Manchester United team and the Manchester United fan base will be much more concerned about minimizing situations where the Red Devils find themselves behind and scrambling for a point towards the end of the game.
During Ole Gunner Solskjaer pre-match press conference last week Thursday prior to last weekends clash against Leicester City, Manchester United caretaker manager stress the encouragement he felt in seeing his side fight back against Burnley during Manchester United last match but Ole Gunner Solskjaer also intelligently hinted that Manchester United’s fight back against Burnley should be a complete cause for celebration which is an important point. While Sean Dyches side deserved all the credit they got for stepping into Old Trafford and throwing the first two punches with a two-goal lead, Manchester United must be held accountable for their lackluster performance during the early parts of the match. Manchester United have experienced a massive amount of good fortune during the crucial second half of the season with Manchester United recording little to no names on their injury list so far, which means with Manchester United only a few points short of securing a spot on one of the top four UEFA Champions League qualification places, Ole Gunner Solskjaer is still in a good spot to deliver Champions League football to Manchester United next season.
Delivering Champions league football will make Ole Gunner Solskjaer the man for the job in Manchester United’s books but in other to deliver Champions League football, Solskjaer have to iron out a few problems in Manchester United’s football two of which are Inconsistency and loosing focus. United have shown most recently that they tend to struggle with holding their lead in a football match. Fulham is yet another team that has displayed how effective they can be with speed when hitting teams on the counter attack and that might spell trouble for a Manchester United depending on the center backs Ole Gunner Solskjaer enforces on his starting IX backline. Players such as Alexandre Mitrovic, Luciano Vietto, and Ryan Sessegnon are sure to be a torn on the sides for Manchester United. However, matches such as tonight’s match are the once where the quality of Manchester United players is expected to push Manchester United comfortably to victory.
