Tactical tweak and classic bravado show Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is up to the task of managing Manchester United

Aditya Devavrat 12:44 14/01/2019
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  • Solskjaer's side is were eliminated from the FA Cup

    This was it, the first true test of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s managerial credentials at Manchester United.

    After starting life at Old Trafford with a five-game slate against Cardiff, Huddersfield, Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Reading, games that could not be read into too much even though the upturn in performances from United was clearly evident, Sunday was the day we could finally take stock of how good a manager the Norwegian is.

    That is what the narrative was ahead of United’s trip to Tottenham, who are managed of course by Mauricio Pochettino – among the favourites to take over at United in the summer, when Solskjaer’s caretaker spell is due to end.

    Well, the former United striker passed his first test with flying colours. Now what?

    True, the Red Devils’ win on Sunday was a narrow success, with the 1-0 margin underlining how indebted United were to their goalkeeper. David De Gea made 11 saves to emerge as the outstanding player of the match, ahead of team-mates Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford, creator and scorer respectively of the game’s lone goal.

    But Spurs’ second-half dominance and De Gea’s resistance to it shouldn’t take away from what Solskjaer’s team pulled off, not when the win came partly thanks to the sort of tactical tweak that can make or break a manager’s reputation.

    All week long the question had been who would play as striker, the in-form and more mobile Rashford or Romelu Lukaku, who had managed three goals in three appearances under Solskjaer but would deprive United’s attack of the fluidity provided by a Rashford-Jesse Lingard-Anthony Martial triumvirate.

    Come kick-off and the answer was revealed: neither.

    That three-pronged attack was kept intact, but it was Lingard chosen to play through the middle, in a false 9 role that, by his own admission, he hadn’t played since he was in United’s academy.

    The intention was clear. With his energy and diligence, Lingard could harry Tottenham’s centre-backs and deep-lying midfielders, while Rashford and Martial could run into the spaces his movement would create.

    Rarely can a plan have worked to such perfect execution: United’s goal came about because Lingard dropped deep and cut off a passing lane, deflecting a Kieran Trippier pass straight to Pogba, who then delivered a sumptuous ball to Rashford, running into space on the opposite wing, with the young Englishman applying the finishing touch.

    This is a manager’s dream, trying something new, rehearsing it during training, and seeing it come to fruition almost exactly as intended come the actual game.

    Whether the idea was Solskjaer’s himself, or a brainchild of Mike Phelan, whose tactical nous had helped Sir Alex Ferguson during the latter part of the legendary manager’s spell in charge of United, it instantly burnished the new boss’ credentials.

    This was not a win that was just about releasing the handbrakes and allowing United’s attacking players the freedom to express themselves, this was a win born of thinking, planning, and executing at a tactical level.

    That it came against Pochettino, in a quasi-duel of potential future full-time United managers, gave the moment even more weight. This was Solskjaer outwitting his biggest rival for the permanent job.

    And to his credit, Pochettino did his credentials no harm, either. Though Spurs may have lost, the Argentine’s adjustment at half-time having lost Moussa Sissoko to injury early in the first half ensured his side were constantly on the front foot in the second half.

    But for the brilliance of De Gea, they could have easily scored two or three goals after the half-time switch to 4-2-3-1 from 4-3-3, with Sissoko’s replacement, Erik Lamela, providing greater thrust to Tottenham’s attack.

    The goalkeeper’s superlative second-half display ensured it was Solskjaer who had the last laugh, and while he can’t take credit for that particular aspect of United’s win, there was plenty else about this performance that bore his fingerprints.

    Rashford had managed three goals in 14 Premier League appearances this season under Jose Mourinho. He’s now scored four in five under Solskjaer. The much-maligned Pogba has been involved in eight goals in five games since Solskjaer took over, four goals and four assists – having managed a total of six goal involvements in 20 games before this.

    Getting those two to click, and especially Pogba, has been Solskjaer’s biggest achievement so far, even if it had initially come against weaker opposition.

    Another point in the new manager’s favour: after the game, when he had become the first manager in United history to win his first six games in charge, Solskjaer was asked if his start had gone better than expected. His response? “This is Manchester United, you expect to win every game.”

    Now he has a win in a big game to back up such bravado. Solskjaer’s passed his first big test, and shown he’s truly up to the task.

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