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Manchester United go into the international break placed at the 5th position in the Premier league, a point ahead of Chelsea at 6th and two behind Arsenal at 4th. Tottenham, at 3rd, are 3 points away. Yet, just a few days back, things had looked so much brighter for the Red Devils.
United had just defeated PSG at their backyard, to secure passage into the quarter finals of the Champions League. That weekend, they had the opportunity to go level with Tottenham at 3rd, however, they were defeated by the Gunners, who moved up to 4th instead. This weekend, they succumbed to a resolute Wolves side and were knocked out of the FA Cup.
With back-to-back defeats that look ready to ruin their momentum, United are in a bit of a mess right now. All of a sudden, all the good work done by Solskjaer in the past couple of months is under threat. However, the Norwegian does have the ability to turn his team around and here are 5 ways how Solskjaer can get Manchester United back on track.
#5 Get the players out of the PSG hangover
United were still flying high from their impossible victory at Paris, when the Gunners got them back to the ground. Solskjaer talked of a turnaround against Wolves, instead, United had their worst performance on a football field since the Norwegian took over at Molineux and were eliminated from the FA Cup. The root cause for two back-to-back defeats could be lying a bit deeper.
After completing a historic comeback against PSG to progress into the Quarter Finals of the UEFA Champions League, Manchester United had an invincible feeling about them. It drained them and perhaps gave them a sense of achievement. All the attention and praise seems to have got to their head, it made them complacent and this is where Solskjaer must interfere.
A win in the Round of 16 amounts to nothing, especially since they face Barcelona next. The Norwegian must pull his players out of their daydreams and get them firmly grounded. The season is far from over and losing momentum now, after doing so well in the past few months, would be criminal.
#4 Improve Wing Play
In the last two games, United's wing play was mediocre and it was one of the reasons for their downfall. United hardly sent in crosses against Wolves and failed to make use of all the spaces in the wide areas. Against Arsenal too, the situation was similar.
In Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot, United have two young, exciting full backs who are overflowing with energy and steam. Both men are very capable of affecting games when going forward and indeed, Luke Shaw has been one of the players of the season ever since Solskjaer took over. And Ashley Young, even with his age, has done a commendable job through the right.
Solskjaer's preference for an attacking 4-3-3 means that the full backs have a very important role to play in attack. Because United's wide attackers tend to drift inside, it frees up spaces on the sides for the full backs to run into and this is where United must be more clinical.
There has to be more crosses, intricate overlapping and better final balls. All of United's full backs have the abilities to affect the game and Solskjaer must ensure that their marauding runs have defining end results.
#3 Play Pressing Football
Even though United had the preferred midfield of Herrera, Pogba and Matic against Wolves, there was negligible pressing on the ground, especially in the first half. The Wolves midfield were afforded a lot of time and space on the ball and it cost United the game. Even the back four and the front three seemed withdrawn on the night and no one closed down the spaces. Solskjaer must have noticed this and it would have definitely annoyed him.
As such, the Norwegian must enforce the same discipline in his team once again. Pressing is a big part of modern football tactics. Every champion team presses their opponents and maintains the momentum throughout the game. Solskjaer had implemented the same tactics since taking charge and it had helped United put together a great run of games.
When United press, they force the opposition either into making mistakes or into moving the ball into an area which helps the Red Devils. It helps them dictate the game and take control of the proceeding. Once Solskjaer's wards start pressing again, United will be back to winning ways.
#2 Stick to his counter attacking tactics
Everything good that Solskjaer achieved in his short time at the helm of the Manchester United team was achieved by playing fast, fluid, counter attacking football. United relied on compact defending and speedy movement of the ball to affect their games.
When the opposition pressed them, they stayed true to their shape at the back. When the spaces opened up, they hit the opposition with the speed and precision of their forward players. This was a tactic that was embedded in the roots of United, as all great teams of old were built in this platform.
However, the team has not been effective in their counter attacking play in the past two games. It could be the lack of match fitness of their players, but United did not look threatening in the counter and it cost them both games. The build up was slow, there were miss-passes and the final ball was missing.
Solskjaer needs to ensure that his midfield stays creative and that his front runners stay fluid. Only then can United get back to winning ways.
#1 Motivation
Manchester United were broken, battered and bruised when Solskjaer took over. They had been the butt of jokes and their playing style had drawn severe criticism. And Mourinho had left no stone unturned to make it clear that he lacked good players in his squad. United had become dark and depressed, and the players were not performing.
In stepped the Baby Faced Assassin and within a week, the team looked different. They looked eager, their qualities were evident. Solskjaer had brought back the entertainment factor on the field, the old Manchester United were back and the dark clouds had disappeared. United went from strength to strength under their new manager and reached milestones that were deemed impossible a couple of months back.
All was possible because the Norwegian managed to motivate his players. He was able to bring the best out of his wards and now, the situation demands that he does it again. This is but a minor roadblock, the occasion is not as grave as in December. As such, with a little bit of "Solskjaer" into their ears and hearts, the brave men of Manchester United could return back to their best soon.
