What next for Man United: Assessing Solskjaer's potential replacements
Manchester United’s back-to-back comprehensive home defeats at the hands of their fierce rivals Liverpool and Manchester City have put pressure on the manager, Ole…
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I'm an international student in Sydney doing a Master of Sport Management. A sports enthusiast with fair opinions. Aspiring to build a career in sports media. Currently working part-time at Fox Sports in the stats department. My ultimate dream is to become a football writer one day.
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Manchester United’s back-to-back comprehensive home defeats at the hands of their fierce rivals Liverpool and Manchester City have put pressure on the manager, Ole…
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ok so if these improvements are facts, what are the grounds for sacking him? His body of work deserves more respect than it gets.
A tactical dwarf in the land of giants: Why United will never flourish under Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Nah mate I respect your opinion. All I’m saying is that we can’t say Ole will surely never win a title, when in 2 and a half seasons his team massively improved and he himself showed improvements as a manager
A tactical dwarf in the land of giants: Why United will never flourish under Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Yeah 100%.City made things harder for themselves by signing Grealish for 100 million. Now Levy is within his own rights to demand 150 million at least.
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Yeah, but your argument is based on what? He had two full seasons, finished 3rd then 2nd. This is called progress. The players look happy under him and most players improved with him. How can you say that for sure they can’t win a title with him in charge with the season just one game in? Is there any guarantee someone like Poch would have done better? No! Poch just lost Ligue 1 with a team that is way stronger than the rest.
So yours is an opinion based on your preferences, not a valid argument with any proof. It took Klopp 4 years to win a title btw. Even Arteta doesn’t get as much stick as Ole even though he is equally if not more “unqualified”.
Solskjaer is heavily influenced by Fergie’s management style as he played under him for over a decade. The team is getting better under him every season and became exciting to watch again, so you can’t just sit there and say they can never win a title when actual gradual progress is there to see.
A tactical dwarf in the land of giants: Why United will never flourish under Ole Gunnar Solskjær
This is the best United in years. As you said, they now have a squad capable of challenging. Thanks to who? Thanks to Solskjaer. The rebuild he did on and off the pitch is massively underrated.
Yes, he is not very tactical like Klopp or Pep, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t manage a big club. Sir Alex Ferguson himself wasn’t very tactical. Zidane isn’t a very tactical manager as well but he has the respect of his player and 3 Champions League titles and 2 La Liga titles to his name. Only difference? Zidane inherited a CL winning squad with Ronaldo at his peak while Ole inherited an unbalanced, unhappy team suffering from a bad Mourinho hangover.
You say should Manchester United’s fans be happy with 2nd? No, but it’s progress. This is not the Manchester United of 8 years ago. Football works in cycles, Liverpool didn’t win a title for 30 years and Arsenal hven’t won a title since 2004. United spent millions under seasoned managers like Van Gaal and Mourinho and they achieved nothing. They might have won a couple of trophies but the football was unwatchable and the future was bleak.
The Europa League final loss was disappointing, but constantly reaching semi-finals, finals and being around the top is how you ultimately reach the top. Ole might or might not a trophy but he did a good job that deserves respect. The day he leaves the club, it will be in much better shape than when he took over.
A tactical dwarf in the land of giants: Why United will never flourish under Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Yep. New deal till 2029 and he agreed to lower his salary by almost half.
A successful EPL transfer window is not just about spending money
Exactly my thoughts mate. This final performance was no different from the one against Croatia last World Cup. Got a lead and then became too negative. This shows that he didn’t improve much as a manager since 2018 despite his squad getting even better.
Just wanted to know your thoughts as an English fan regarding Southgate. I personally don’t rate him highly but think his body of work earned him the right to stay at least for the next World Cup. Would you rather sack him now and move on or give him one last shot at a major tournament?
Southgate's decisions cost England, Mancini's brilliance brought Euro 2020 to Italy
Thanks mate, appreciate your comment!
Very true what you said regarding Mancini. In my opinion, both Mancini and Luis Enrique showed this tournament that the narrative that international managers can’t implement a style of play, and an attacking identity (due to limited time with the squad) is complete nonsense. Both teams looked like they have a clear understanding of how they want to play. Italy specifically looked like a team that can play in the Champions League in my opinion.
Is it a coincidence that both managers have been successful club managers?? I don’t think so.
Southgate's decisions cost England, Mancini's brilliance brought Euro 2020 to Italy
Thanks Kevin, appreciate your feedback.
If it was down to me, I would have started with the same 4-2-3-1 used in the semi-final, stuck to my guns, and played to the offensive players’ strengths. When it was time to change, I would have rather seen Grealish or Sancho before Saka or Henderson. If the case with Rice was that he’s tired (you never really take your DM out unless it’s a necessity), why not take Sterling – who played most of England’s minutes throughout the tournament – out when he was clearly tired and having an off-game?
As for the Sancho/Rashford decision, all I wanted to see was them being used earlier to actually win the game before it goes to penalties. I mean if you don’t trust them to do a job from open play, why throw them in so late just for a shootout?
Anyway, let’s hope they learn from that because this team is really likable.
Southgate's decisions cost England, Mancini's brilliance brought Euro 2020 to Italy
Thanks for your feedback and comment mate, appreciated.
To your question, I think that given the way England lined up with 3 at the back and 7 defensive-minded players on the pitch, Italy was always going to have more of the ball. Like you said, the early lead hindered England rather than push them. They had something to hang on to and didn’t try to get the finishing blow. Throughout the tournament (except for the Ukraine game), England didn’t get such an early lead, so they played with more purpose.
Italy was happy to dictate the pace of course as they grew into the game. The only game they struggled was in the semi-final when Spain didn’t let them have the ball, so the scenario of how the final played out was perfect for them.
Southgate's decisions cost England, Mancini's brilliance brought Euro 2020 to Italy
It’s ok to let have the opposition have the ball if you are threatening on the counter. But if you try to just defend a lead for almost 90 minutes without causing the opposition any problems whatsoever, that’s not a recipe for success, is it?
The equalizer was a goalmouth scramble but overall Italy looked more dangerous and created better chances. If you watch the game, you can’t say the Azurri didn’t deserve the victory.
Pragmatism can win you tournaments. just look at how France won the last World Cup. England had a dream start and was better in the first 30 minutes. Southgate managed the early lead badly and it hindered the team rather than push them.
He had players that are difference makers on the bench and failed to use them to kill the game. There was no reaction whatsoever to any tactical tweaks made by Mancini. If such a strategy of “score and pray they don’t” is acceptable to you, that’s fine, but that’s not how I view football.
As you said, “England was only 23 minutes away from claiming victory”, but they didn’t, and that’s what people will remember in years to come.
Southgate's decisions cost England, Mancini's brilliance brought Euro 2020 to Italy
Great read Kevin. Keep up the good work mate
Football didn't come home, but it's come closer
Playing defensive and looking to counter isn’t a bad strategy at all. Except England wasn’t even countering. They had 6 shots in total with just 2 on target in 120 minutes. For me, that’s a very poor return with the attacking talent they possess.
I agree that England’s midfield isn’t that great, but there are options like Foden, Grealish & Sancho that would have allowed them to keep the ball better and create more. If you want to counter then you need runners other than Sterling to make those runs in behind.
To your last point, I don’t think England had to concede possession for long periods like they did. In all their matches prior to the final, they played with more intent, including a dominant display against a Germany side that had two world-class midfielders in Kroos and Grotezka. Spain offered a blueprint on how to pin Italy back and I believe England had the tools to do so. They were just too negative on the ball and didn’t look like scoring from the second half onwards.
Overall England had a stellar tournament and the future looks bright. They have a team that can challenge anyone in Europe. If they are to win something, Southgate has a lot to work on. He earned the right to remain in charge for next year’s World Cup but this will be his last chance to prove that he can maximize the potential of the squad he has. Otherwise, it will be a similar story to how Belgium’s golden generation fared in major tournaments, coming close without ever getting there.
Southgate's decisions cost England, Mancini's brilliance brought Euro 2020 to Italy
Yes, credit to Southgate for what he has done so far. He’s had a great tournament, no arguments there. I did mention that the players seem to like him and play for him. But he did get some decisions wrong in the final. It’s OK to admit that.
His changes were late and didn’t affect the game at all. If sitting deep is a “response from players” then whose job is it to rile them up and change things? For me, it’s not justifiable that England had just 2 shots on target and 38% possession of the ball. With the attacking talent they have and the advantage of playing at home, they should have done better in the game in my opinion.
Yes, England are genuine contenders, this team is very likable and there’s plenty to be excited about. But if they are to finally win something, Southgate is the one that needs to improve the most.
Southgate's decisions cost England, Mancini's brilliance brought Euro 2020 to Italy
Exactly, UEFA & FIFA’s answer to anything is more games. In an already congested schedule, it just doesn’t make sense. They did it in the EURO and only made the group stage boring and overall fewer quality matches. Sadly, it seems like any change number one goal is more TV money rather than real development of the game.
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Thanks, Vas. Appreciate your feedback.
The sad thing is that because of this ridiculous plan, UEFA’s new Champions League format went under the radar. They too never consulted players or managers, and most fans don’t like this idea either. UEFA & FIFA’s answer to any changes is always more games, which brings more money but is no guarantee to success. They did it in the EURO and it only dropped the competition’s quality.
As you said if they were smart enough to bring stakeholders on board, the pressure would have been on UEFA. The big clubs should have acted big by leading everyone through necessary changes forced by the pandemic.
Do you think adopting the German ownership model of 50%+1 rule is the way going forward? I still have mixed feelings about it. Would love to know your opinion.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the Super League: Greed or absolute need?
Levy should definitely ask for the full value. It was Kane’s decision to sign 6 years without any assurances. However, I don’t think Spurs fans will ever view him as a traitor. In all honesty, he deserves the move at this stage of his career.
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