The manager of Manchester United Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was expected to be excited that his team finally recorded a win amid heated pressure from United’s fans and critics. But the Norwegian tactician is more concerned about the number of games his players are forced to play at short intervals.
Manchester United have been experiencing very mixed results so far in the 2020-2021 season. The club recorded some poor results like the 6-1 defeat to Tottenham in October and the recent 2-1 defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir on November 4 which have inspired most fans of the club to start calling for the sack of Solskjaer.
Though these two matches were not the only matches United had suffered defeats this season, critics and even those who used to support the Norwegian tactician have been using the two matches as the reason why the board of the club should allow the 47-year-old tactician to leave the club.
Solskjaer went into the Everton game on Saturday with a lot of pressure and amid the speculation that United have contacted a former manager of Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino to replace him. The tactician was able to come up with a plan that ensured that his team came out victorious. The match ended 1-3 in favor of United.
Signing off for the international break with three points! 🙌#MUFC #EVEMUN pic.twitter.com/ANPQxEcCig
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 7, 2020
However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not happy that Manchester United had to play on a Saturday morning when they just returned to England on Thursday morning from Turkey where they played Basaksehir in the Champions League. He argued that the Premier League should have considered a club like United when coming up with fixtures for the sake of the wellbeing of the players.
The Norwegian tactician noted that United should have played on a Sunday rather than on Saturday after their 5 hours flight from Turkey. He then urged the Premier League to restructure the fixtures because the players involved in playing the games are not robots.
“The kick-off time set us up to fail,” Solskjaer said. “We have been to Turkey, played loads of games this season already, we got back Thursday morning and we are playing Saturday lunchtime, it’s an absolute shambles.”
“They are not robots, they are human beings. We got back on Thursday at 4 am, what is the problem with playing on Sunday? Look after the players, we already have too many injuries in the Premier League, not just my players but others too.
“We want this product to be the best in the world band it is at times and so exciting but we don’t want to harm any players.
“What to do? Sit back, take a deep breath, and look at the scheduling and use common sense.”
💬 A staunch response from Ole…#MUFC #EVEMUN pic.twitter.com/0FyLPW4onE
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 7, 2020
The captain of the side, Harry Maguire also supported the stand of his coach but added that he was “happy to play whenever”.
“To play in Istanbul on Wednesday, have a five-hour flight, and then to play first thing Saturday morning, it is tough”, he added.
With Manchester United’s victory over Everton on Saturday, the Red Devils have now moved a step up to the 14th spot with 10 points in 7 games. After the FIFA international break, the club will resume their quest to climb up the ladder against West Brom on November 21.
