Manchester United manager Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer has opened up in his pre-match press conference ahead of his side’s crunch UEFA Champions League tie against Atalanta, speaking about the expectations on him and why he feels comfortable despite the pressure he faces as manager of one of the world’s biggest sides.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cut a dejected figure on the touchline as Leicester City tore through his Manchester United side in the closing stages of their English Premier League encounter at the King Power Stadium, with the match ending in a 4-2 triumph for the home side.
It was frustrating for the club’s fans as the clash against Leicester was the first of ten huge fixtures in the league and UEFA Champions League that could well determine the fate of the Red Devils this season.
With matches against Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Atalanta, Manchester City, and Chelsea set to come over the next few weeks, it was important for the Red Devils to start their run of fixtures with a win.
Manchester United Have Started 2021/22 Season Far Below Expectations
Despite the club securing deals for World Cup winner Raphael Varane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho, they have won only five times in 11 matches this season.
Manchester United have already been knocked out of this season’s Carabao Cup after losing to West Ham United at Old Trafford, and have also lost to Swiss side Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League.
Influential playmaker Bruno Fernandes reportedly showed his frustration at having dropped so many points in the league this season after their 1-1 draw at home to Everton.
Solskjaer Admits to Being Under Pressure at Manchester United
After the loss to the Foxes, a statement was quickly issued by the Manchester United hierarchy as they threw their weight behind the under-fire manager, stating that they trusted him to turn things around at the club.
When facing the media ahead of their crunch tie against Atalanta, Solskjaer disclosed that he remains in open communication with the club, and that he looks forward to the response from his players;
“There’s pressure all of the time, there’s pressure on me, of course. We’ve been under pressure before but come through it. I’m just looking forward to the response now and, as you said, I’m in dialogue with the club all of the time, so that’s an open and honest discussion.”
Solskjaer also took his time to point out that he has been able to improve the squad he inherited as he has led them to greater success based on their final league positions in subsequent seasons since his appointment;
“We’ve progressed over the years,” Solskjaer said. “Sixth when I was here for half a season, then third, second, you can see the progress, the development, the improvement.”
“This season, we still want to improve. We’ve signed some players that have raised expectations. Other teams have signed players and improved as well. We’re in the same boat as all of the top teams. After every game, we look through the game, we analyse the game, we look at what we did well and what we didn’t do well. You move on quickly to the next opponent.”
Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer knows the gravity of the task that lies ahead of him at Manchester United and must now find a way to improve things quickly at the club and following the amount of investment in the squad over the summer, a greater level of success is expected.
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