LONDON • Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has five Premier League games left in the season to prove conclusively the club's hierarchy was not hasty in making him Jose Mourinho's permanent successor last month.
After a spectacular start as caretaker manager, during which he won his first eight games and lost just one of his opening 17 matches in charge, United have since suffered a precipitous drop in form.
Five defeats have come in their last seven games, a run which has seen them exit the FA Cup and Champions League, leaving a top-four finish in serious doubt.
They now face a pivotal week, starting with a trip to Everton today before hosting Manchester City (Wednesday), who are locked in a title tussle with Liverpool, and top-four rivals Chelsea (Sunday).
Solskjaer insisted he could not have done a better job given their league position when he took over on Dec 19, when they were 11 points off the top four, but now have "five games to see if we can finish it off".
Although their season ends with a visit to already relegated Huddersfield and a home game against Cardiff, whose relegation fate might also be sealed by then, their next three games are likely to determine whether the club will cement one of the two Champions League places they are competing for with the Blues, Arsenal and Tottenham.
But Solskjaer does not believe his team have any added advantage over the three London clubs who are still in Europe. Spurs will face Ajax in the Champions League semi-final and both Arsenal and Chelsea are also in the last four of the Europa League.
The Norwegian said: "It will give them (United's rivals) a boost playing those games, that's what you want as a player.
"These three games are our short-term focus and we shouldn't think about anything other than having a great week ahead of us."
Denying that his elevation has had a negative effect on his players' performances, Solskjaer insisted it was down to "margins".
However, his critics are beginning to sharpen their knives, with pundit Jermaine Jenas telling BBC Sport his appointment as United's full-time manager was "an emotional decision" and not a "thought-out logical decision for the long term".
He added: "I don't think they needed to try and find someone who can get close to what (former manager Alex) Ferguson has done, they needed to find (a new identity). I don't think they know what they're doing."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
EVERTON V MAN UNITED
Singtel TV Ch102 & StarHub Ch227, 8.30pm
League Cup: Harry Kane's VAR penalty gives Tottenham edge
Football News -LIVERPOOL (AFP) - Jurgen Klopp said his Liverpool team could not have done anything more after they finished just one point behind defending champions Manchester City in their bid
Football: Liverpool 'did all we could' in Premier League race
usasportsradar.com/soccer/football-liverpool-did-all-we-could-in-premier-league-race-says-jurgen-klopp/
Football: Liverpool 'did all we could' in Premier League race, says Jurgen Klopp May 12, 2019 LIVERPOOL (AFP) - Jurgen Klopp said his Liverpool team could not have done anything more after they finished just one point behind defending champions Manchester City in their bid to win the Premier League title.
Klopp: Liverpool 'did all we could' in Premier League race
FacebookTwitterFacebook MessengerPinterestEmail Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says he has forgiven Chelsea coach Marco Ianni for his celebration of Ross Barkley's late equaliser. As
Jose Mourinho's Manchester United Exit Fee Less than £16
The Chelsea coach is reportedly poised to succeed Massimiliano Allegri and a potential switch to Turin could see the Italian champions raid his former club Napoli for star defender Kalidou Koulibaly.
Tottenham Hotspur poised to receive £8.5m from Boris Johnson
⠤⠤ Happy Playground - Croatia ⠤⠤ SOMETIMES I GO PRIVATE TO HELP FRIENDS. DURING THAT TIME I DON'T VISIT OTHER GARDENS!!!I'm low on gold so please remember I haven't forgotten you, I just can't return sprinkles as often as I would like.
Barcelona could without the services of a number of first-team stars for Saturday's Copa del Rey final against Valencia, according to manager Ernesto Valverde. The Barca boss already had problems before Sunday's final day 2-2 draw against at Eibar with Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho amongst those absent from the squad.
Video: Malcom goal and assist for Barcelona vs Villarreal
LONDON (REUTERS) - Liverpool opened up a seven-point gap at the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday (Jan 12), while Arsenal's poor away form continued
Liverpool extend lead at top, Arsenal slip up at West Ham
Fulham secured their first clean sheet of the season with some dogged defending in a 0-0 draw with Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday. The hosts, looking for a second successive
Fulham dig deep to deny Newcastle and earn first clean sheet
Watford squeeze past QPR into FA Cup last eight Soccer Football - FA Cup Fifth Round - Queens Park Rangers v Watford - Loftus Road, London, Britain - February 15, 2019 Watfords Heurelho Gomes in action REUTERS/David Klein BERLIN (Reuters) - Premier Leagues Watford were made to sweat to beat lowly
Watford squeeze past QPR into FA Cup last eight - msn.com
Double injury blow for Spurs ahead of Liverpool clash (Reuters) Dier suffered a groin injury in England's 5-0 win over Czech Republic last week and was forced to withdraw from Gareth Southgate's
Double Injury Blow For Spurs Ahead Of EPL Clash With
Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Southampton - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - March 30, 2019 Southampton's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg scores their f
Hojbjerg strike gives Southampton 1-0 win at Brighton
ZURICH, March 18 (Reuters) - Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo is facing disciplinary action for his celebration after one of the three goals he scored in last week's 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid
Ronaldo faces disciplinary hearing over goal celebration
Most of the time, preseason power rankings are the ugly union of last season's inertia and this year's guesswork. We take everything that happened last year, modify it slightly by what occurred in
Tower 1988 by Northwest Missouri State University Archives
NEWCASTLE, United Kingdom (AFP) - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer joined Matt Busby in the Manchester United record books on Wednesday (Jan 2) as his inspirational decision to bring on Romelu Lukaku as a
Solskjaer extends perfect record as United beat Newcastle
0 comments:
Post a Comment