In recent weeks, Ole Gunnar Solskjær (48) has had to “look over his shoulder”. Now this threat is gone.
With the victory over Tottenham this weekend, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær finally got some peace of mind. The Norwegian was under great pressure ahead of that match after his men had been humiliated with 0-5 for Liverpool the weekend before.
Then the speculation ravaged the English media and Antonio Conte was quickly singled out as a possible candidate to replace the 48-year-old from Kristiansund.
Thus, there are no obvious candidates in the market who can come in at short notice and take over the managerial job at United. Zinedine Zidane wants a year off, while most other top managers are under contract and in that case must be bought loose.
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It is rare for a club to let go of a manager under contract in the middle of the season.
– Things are forgotten when it burns
TV 2 commentator Øyvind Alsaker, for his part, believes that Conte was never as highly relevant to United as the media and experts wanted it to be after the Liverpool match.
– There was a lot of noise in the media, but it is not the case that there will be any major unrest in the club. We need to differentiate between these things. Conte is a bit like what José Mourinho was when he was brought to United and there is great skepticism of such coaches in the hierarchy of Manchester United. It is a short-term solution and Conte is a type that is very demanding for the environment, the commentator told Nettavisen on Tuesday.
– But they went for Mourinho in his time, so things tend to be a bit forgotten when it burns. But now he is the new Tottenham manager, says Alsaker.
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However, he does not rule out that Tuesday’s news may lead to Solskjær getting a little less writing about himself, now that Conte is no longer wondering behind the scenes.
– This is a “sliding doors” moment for Solskjær. Now it’s getting harder to attack him. There is no longer a clear replacement out there, who is guaranteed to lift the team. The top name that was available is no longer there, it may give more peace.
– When Pochettino was vacant, Solskjær also ended up under tremendous pressure and there was a lot of noise. It was said that they had to get rid of him, because Pochettino was free.
– Must be ugly things
The latest reports suggest that Solskjær still has the board’s full confidence and that the Norwegian will have struggles to reverse the adversity that has been this autumn.
– Ed Woodward (club director) will give up and it is asked if he wants to fire Solskjær as the last thing he does. Richard Arnold who comes in and takes over will probably not start by firing a manager either. It’s far inside. I think it’s going to be pretty ugly before it happens.
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– In that case, it must be if they drop out of the Champions League. That they do not move on from the group stage. I think that would be an unacceptable situation, says Alsaker.
Manchester United meet Atalanta away in the Champions League on Tuesday night and the TV 2 profile points out that that particular match will be important for Solskjær.
– Afterwards wisdom
Should there be a loss for both the Italians and arch-rival Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend, Alsaker is afraid there will be a new media run against the Norwegian.
– Then we are back where we were after the Liverpool match. Every single match has a certain significance for Solskjær now. But of course, if they lose 1-0 against City after playing an ok match, it is something completely different than the humiliation against Liverpool, he says.
– Such things come into play, in that sense it is important to avoid losses against Atalanta.
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The commentator will also not be surprised if the Conte situation again becomes an issue if United go on a couple of losses in the upcoming matches. Then many will probably wonder why the club did not get Conte when they allegedly had the chance.
– Then the knives are sharpened and the noise increases again. Then, of course, the hindsight comes overturning, I’m quite sure, says the veteran in the commentator booth.
Solskjær’s men stand with two wins and one loss in the first three matches of the Champions League group stage and top the group, ahead of Villarreal by four points.
Atalanta are booked with four points after the first three games and should they beat United in Bergamo on Tuesday night, they will go past Solskjær’s team on the table.
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