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On 16 December 2018, when Manchester United got humbled by Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield, it looked inevitable that Jose Mourinho would face the exit at Old Trafford. So when Ed Woodward finally sacked Jose Mourinho, he didn't look any further than the former player and club legend, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, to take charge of United until the end of the season.
Solskjaer's appointment did raise a few eyebrows, as he didn't have prior experience in managing a big club nor did his previous record with Cardiff help his cause. However, he considered himself lucky to get the most coveted job in world football.
The Red Devils have won 11 of their 13 matches under Solskjaer, with the only defeat coming against PSG in the Champions League. He has instilled belief among the fans and made the team play attacking football from the onset. Solskjaer has not only allowed players to express themselves on the pitch but did make some tactical changes in the big matches as well.
Here is a breakdown of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tactics at Manchester United so far.
Also see : Womens World Cup Bracket, Copa America Standings, Gold Cup Standings
#3 Playing Rashford as the number one centre forward
Marcus Rashford broke onto the scene under former manager, Louis Van Gaal, when an injury to Antony Martial saw the England international replace him for a Europa League fixture. From then onwards, Marcus didn't look back and continued to impress with his performances.
However, once Jose took over, he put either Ibrahimovic or Romelu Lukaku up front, forcing Rashford to play as a winger. He played both down the left and right flank.
Thus this lack of positional stability and the shortage of game time affected his performances, with the Portuguese doubting his ability as a natural finisher. Solskjaer has made sure Rashford is the primary striker on the side, with Lukaku playing as a backup.
He has been scoring goals for fun and has even provided some vital assists as well. Ole has used Rashford's pace and power to run behind defenders, and the goal against Spurs exemplified just that.
Along with his pace, Rashford's quick feet and dribbling ability have paid dividends for United in recent times. Against Bournemouth, he dribbled past three defenders and provided a brilliant assist for Paul Pogba.
Marcus can also score from set-pieces, as seen in Solskjer's first game in charge where he fired in a powerful low free-kick which completely caught the goalkeeper wrong-footed.
#2 Not sticking to only one philosophy
Solskjaer has played in a 4-3-3 formation in most of the games but has changed it to 4-4-2 diamond when needed. The recent win against Chelsea is a good example, as he used Mata behind the two forwards - Rashford and Lukaku.
With Martial and Lingard injured, Solskjaer lacked a bit of pace up front. Hence he played Mata in a number 10 role where the Spaniard is at his very best. Though Juan didn't provide any assist or score, he did a fantastic job on Jorginho, stopping him from playing his natural game.
In the match against Arsenal, Solskjaer used Lukaku in a wider role down the right-hand side, and the Belgian came up with two assists. Romelu has played a couple of games for Belgium as a right winger and Solskjaer didn't shy away from that option, using Lingard as a false 9.
#1 Taking defensive responsibilities off the shoulders of Paul Pogba
Paul Pogba's performance is the most prominent example of the difference between Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jose Mourinho. The Frenchman fell out of favour under Mourinho and looked destined to leave the club.
However, once United got rid of Jose and appointed Solskajer instead, Pogba looks like a player who is happy and playing some of the best football of his career. He has scored more than ten goals in the Premier League this season, which is a career first for him.
His goals and assists have contributed nearly 90 per cent of the goals United have scored in the last 13 matches.
The sudden improvement in performance is also down to his role in the side, where he plays on the left of a three-man midfield. It gives Paul the freedom to move higher up the pitch and play as a false 9 sometimes, allowing the likes of Sanchez and Martial to drift inside and link up play with either Rashford or Lukaku up front.
The defeat against PSG highlighted Pogba's importance in the side as Marquinhos did a fantastic job of man marking him and didn't allow Paul to play those long through balls to Rashford.
He has been United's best player over the past couple of months and would be pivotal in the club's aspirations of a top-four finish.
