A tactical masterclass from Ole as United triumph in Manchester derby
Simple, but effective.
Manchester United’s impressive recent form continued as they beat their city rivals and completed the double over City in the league this season.
This win was a more dogged and hard-fought win, undoubtedly not that pleasing on the eye.
It’s not the way United fans want to see their team play week in, week out - but sometimes the best thing you can do as a manager is to be honest and admit you have the inferior team.
Ole accepted that today and adapted the tactics accordingly, making life awkward for Pep Guardiola’s men
Yet again, Ole got his tactics right against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
I personally am still unconvinced by Ole as United’s long-term manager but if come the end of the season and United have Champions League qualification (even if that’s through finishing 5th) then I don’t see any reason why he should be sacked.
However, I do think he should lose his job if we miss out on Champions League qualification as he got what every Manchester United manager since Fergie has wanted - which is backing in the transfer window.
Ole has been able to bring in the players he wanted and although the Bruno Fernandes transfer dragged on much longer than it needed to, his purchase was a massive boost to Solskjaer’s and United’s season.
Therefore, considering the backing he got in the summer as well, there is no excuses for missing out on the Champions League now and if United fail to make it then I don’t see why Ole deserves more time to rectify things.
Ole secured his main target in Bruno Fernandes.
The Fernandes Effect
However, that outcome doesn’t look too likely at the moment.
United are on their best run of form this season and Fernandes has helped make them look threatening in attack and most importantly, capable of breaking down defences.
Once again today he showed off his elegance and class on the ball; it was a clever and perfectly executed chipped free kick from him to set up Martial for the game’s opening goal and that made the difference on the day.
Before his signing, there was nobody in that United team besides an at his best Mata, who could have done something that inventive.
His work rate is also second to none and he’s become an instant fan favourite.
Bruno Fernandes yet again influenced a tactically efficient United side - providing an elegant assist for Anthony Martial.
Improvements across the pitch
Several players deserve credit for their performance today.
Wan Bissaka had Sterling’s number again, the entire back line was exceptional and Martial held the ball up brilliantly all game.
However, the man who deserves the most credit is Solsjkaer because once again in the big games, he got the tactics spot on and United were incredibly difficult to break down, whilst still posing a threat on the counter-attack.
They also targeted City’s weaknesses, with James constantly on Otamendi’s shoulder, taking him on and exploiting his vulnerability at defending against pacey players.
If James was perhaps a bit wiser and had a more mature footballing brain, he might have played in Fernandes to surely make the game 2-0 early on.
He went on a mazy run, skipping past Otamendi in the process as he did throughout but as has been the case a lot recently, his final product let him down as he tried to beat Ederson from a tight angle.
The five at the back formation worked as well, as Shaw once again looked natural as a centre-back and Williams and Bissaka made positive overlapping runs to help the attack.
It was another brilliant performance for United - stretching their unbeaten streak to ten games.
It wasn’t the perfect performance and it often wasn’t good to watch but this is a game United would have lost last year.
They wouldn’t have been capable of defending for the majority of the game without conceding and that shows the club is finally starting to move in a positive direction.
In your opinion, is Ole the right man for the long-term Manager position at United?
Have your say in the comments below.
Article by: Harry Dunnett
Edited by: Samuel Slaney
Thumbnail image from: Premier League
Images from: AP Photo & The Sun