Chelsea has seen this show before: Four thoughts on OGS as Man U’s RDM
Manchester United are going the full Roberto Di Matteo by appointing Ole Gunnar Solksjaer as their permanent manager. We asked our writers to offer their perspective having gone down this road with Chelsea in 2012.
Manchester United used to set the standards for English football. Now, though, United are cribbing from Chelsea’s playbook in the hopes of Ole Gunnar Solksjaer returning them to prominence. Chelsea fans have seen this move before.
Barrett Rouen: I don’t really have any advice for Manchester United fans on this issue. United are still a more stable club than Chelsea ever claimed to be. Solksjaer get more support from upper management that Di Matteo was ever going to. Other than that, there’s not too much difference.
This United team are not even close to as talented as that Chelsea team was in terms of the players and leaders in the squad. If Solksjaer can get them to win the Champions League then he should be celebrated for it because it would be a remarkable achievement in it’s own light. But still, it would be nothing like 2012 was for Chelsea when the Blues beat Munich in Munich.
Kevin Peacock: Chelsea’s team under Roberto di Matteo was a self-managing entity that knew a thing or two about winning trophies. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, on the other hand, will have to guide his team to success using age-old methods from Sir Alex Ferguson’s era.
Whilst the managers share similarities in being fan favourites, Solksjaer will have to work harder than Di Matteo to achieve the same results. The danger, as Chelsea fans know, is when the wheels fall off, it leaves a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of your stomach. Di Matteo had an FA Cup and Champions League win after a few short months to nourish his legendary status. There’s no question that if Solksjaer is to follow suit he’ll need to bag a pot or two before it all goes wrong.
Abhishek Pancholi: Robert Di Matteo was a perfect example of how a group of people can do special things with their newfound freedom, after toiling under an oppressive and unpopular regime. We are seeing the same situation unfold at Manchester United, where an underperforming group of players has started to operate near their actual levels.
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer is the substitute teacher who is keeping the class happy by letting them bring in their pets and by not giving them any homework. But such populist measures are never feasible for the longer term, which is why we’ll see Solksjaer’s Manchester United stumble a third of the way through next season, much like permanent manager Di Matteo’s Chelsea. Still, RDM had a Champions League medal to force Chelsea into giving him the full-time gig. OGS has nothing, yet.
In appointing OGS permanently, United appear to have fallen victim to nostalgia and have mistaken a collective sigh of relief for genuine happiness. Their desperate attempt to prolong this feeling will end in tears.
Karan Sarai: Manchester United have handed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the duty to bring back the glory days to Old Trafford. Solksjaer’s Red Devils are on a resurgence. Manchester United look a completely different squad than they did under Jose Mourinho. They’ve been able to pull off surprising results game after game. This just might be another case of fresh life brought into the locker room, but will it be sustained?
After his sacking, Jose Mourinho spoke on BeIN Sports about how Liverpool fans and board back Jurgen Klopp even though he is still to win a trophy in three season at Liverpool. He also noted how Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp were provided the funds to buy players they wanted. Mourinho went on to complain how United fans turned against him, even though he won them the Europa League and EFL Cup in two seasons. The Portuguese manager makes valid points about the club and fans not backing him.
But that is in the past, and Solksjaer is the head now. If he does not win a trophy in the first season, will the fans still be signing “Ole is at the wheel?” Will the club back the new manager and give him enough funds?
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Taking nothing away from the things Solskjaer has done with United in this short span. Full credit to the guy for transforming United, but will the Manchester crowd be patient enough to let him build a squad?