Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea: 5 Tactics from Solskjaer that won the game

#4 Pressing football

Manchester United closed down the opposition very fast

One of the most important aspects of Solskjaer’s style of play has been off the ball pressure. When he took over the caretaker role in December, this was an instant hit with the club. The opposition was not used to Manchester United pressing so high up and it helped Solskjaer enjoy a hugely successful opening three months.

However, it soon became clear that United did not have the legs to continue Solskjaer’s tactics. When reality struck the Norwegian, it was a steep fall for United, which ended the season on a sorry note. However, Solskjaer was adamant that it was the right way forward, which is why he designed a ruthless regime in preseason to improve his squad’s fitness. The result was visible against Chelsea.

United did start the game slow and for whatever reason, their pressing lacked a bit of heart in the first half. However, a pep talk at the break was all it took because the Red Devils vastly improved in the second half and did not allow Chelsea much time on the ball. Every player closed down with intent and strived to win back the ball. And this enabled United to finally win the game.