Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Rating The United Boss So Far

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has spent two and a half years in charge of Manchester United but people have differing views of his tenure so far.

The “baby eyed assassin” is regarded as a club legend having played and won trophies for the Red Devils during his time as a player.

However, a lot has changed for the 48-year-old since then with managerial spells at Molde, Cardiff and a stint as manager of the Manchester United academy.

Several eyebrows were raised when he was appointed Manchester United manager but Ole has gradually won over a few of his critics. Let’s take a look at how he has steered the Red Devils thus far.

In December 2019, after a poor run of form, Ole was announced as the interim manager following the dismissal of Portuguese tactician, José Mourinho.

Ole’s first match in charge was against his former club, Cardiff City. Manchester United crushed Cardiff 5-1. This was the first time Manchester United had scored five goals in a match since the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Manchester United built on this momentum to win a further seven matches in all competitions before sharing points with Burnley in a four-goal thriller.

Ole won the manager of the month award in his first month in charge. The form of the Red Devils certainly hinted at better things to come.

Ole earned more points than any other manager in their first nine games. A 3-1 win over Crystal Palace meant that United had won eight consecutive away matches in all competitions.

The Norwegian’s first loss came in the Champions League, with former player Angel di Maria combining with Kylian Mbappe to condemn United to a 2-0 defeat at home in the first leg.

In the return leg, however, a controversial Marcus Rashford penalty meant United came back to win 3-1 at the Parc des Princes to qualify to the quarter-finals on away goals rule.

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On 28 May 2019 after winning 14 of his 19 matches in charge, Ole was handed a three-year deal to become the manager on a permanent basis.

In the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, Manchester United finished with 66 points. In the first season, they finished sixth, but in 2020/21 they finished third.

Manchester United got to three semifinals but lost all three. They lost to city rivals Manchester City in the EFL Cup, Sevilla in the Europa League and Chelsea in the FA cup.

In the 2020/21 season, United began their Premier League campaign poorly, losing to Crystal Palace at home and suffering their joint heaviest defeat in a 6-1 defeat to Tottenham.

After a defeat to Arsenal at home, United seemed to get their groove back and went on a long unbeaten run.

In the Champions League, United began their campaign with impressive wins over PSG and Leipzig only to eventually finish third and be relegated to the Europa League following consecutive losses against PSG and Leipzig.

On 12 January, following a 1-0 win over Burnley, Manchester United climbed to the top spot in the league standings for the first time in the season.

On 2 February, Manchester equalled a club record of most goals scored with a 9-0 win over Southampton. However, shortly after, United bowed out to Leicester in the FA cup and neighbours City in the semifinals of the EFL Cup.

On 9 May, the Red Devils secured a top-four finish making it the first time United qualified for the Champions League in consecutive seasons since the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

However, Manchester United still had one more goal; they had the Europa League final in their sights. Their only obstacle was Villarreal.

United conceded first but equalized before the end of normal time and after a goalless extra time, the match went to penalties. All 10 players from both sides scored their penalties. The Villarreal goalkeeper lived up to expectations with his own penalty but unfortunately, David de Gea could not convert his and Villarreal won the Europa League.

Ole’s tenure has certainly been an eventful one. It’s obvious that United have improved greatly since his appointment but they have lost four semifinals and one final meaning they have not won a trophy since his appointment.

However, the Red Devils have been busy in the transfer window, securing the services of English winger, Jadon Sancho and the potential recruitment of other players seem likely. The fans would be hoping that with the recruitments, the squad can finally win something.

A new season begins soon and with it comes a chance to make amends for the mistakes of the previous season, to compete for the Premier League title and most importantly, win a trophy.

How would you rate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United boss so far? Let us know in the comments.

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