- Manchester United put their humiliation by the hands of Liverpool behind them
- A 3-0 win at Tottenham eased a number of the stress on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
- Solskjaer desires his gamers to show towards Atalanta they've turned a nook
As occasions at Tottenham took an inevitable activate Monday, the person who dealt the deadly blow to Nuno Espirito Santo might have puzzled simply how shut he got here to an analogous destiny at Manchester United.
Solely per week in the past, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stood on the precipice with Antonio Conte being overtly mentioned as his successor at Outdated Trafford.
A convincing win at Spurs has given the United supervisor just a little respiratory house however Solskjaer is aware of simply how delicate his state of affairs stays.
This night, United face Atalanta within the Champions League. They go to the Gewiss Stadium high of an evenly-poised Group F, solely three factors forward of Younger Boys in fourth.
On Saturday, they play rivals Manchester Metropolis at Outdated Trafford understanding one other heavy residence defeat simply two weeks after a humiliation by the hands of Liverpool would plunge Solskjaer and his gamers again into disaster.
No surprise Solskjaer will not be getting carried away by beating Tottenham. 'One swallow doesn't make a summer time,' he stated on Monday. 'It's vital we maintain specializing in what we did nicely in that sport and enhance on what we didn't do as nicely. It's relentless with video games each three days and it's an opportunity tomorrow to show that we are able to go once more.'
Gary Neville has been an everyday critic of this United workforce and warned on the weekend that the Spurs consequence 'didn't let anybody off the hook' with Atalanta and Metropolis ready across the nook.
Solskjaer is glad to let the likes of Neville take their finest shot and appeared extra involved on Monday with providing his sympathies to Nuno.
'Criticism can make you doubt yourself or you can stand up for yourself. I've all the time loved criticism - maintain that coming, it's positive,' he stated. 'Journalists, pundits, experts, we've all acquired totally different jobs and it's their job to present their opinion. I'm not right here to struggle with them, I don't want a spat with anybody.
'It's by no means good to see good males lose their jobs. Nuno has been working arduous. I don't know what the state of affairs is at Tottenham however, as a colleague, you might be by no means glad when that occurs. You attempt to get in contact with him and inform him your emotions.'
Solskjaer is not going to want reminding that United have been two objectives all the way down to Atalanta inside half an hour at Outdated Trafford two weeks in the past earlier than rescuing themselves with a second-half fightback. 4 days earlier, they misplaced 4-2 at Leicester and 4 days later 5-0 to Liverpool.
A horrible sample was rising and compelled Solskjaer to change to a extra compact, defensive formation at Tottenham with Edinson Cavani partnering Cristiano Ronaldo in assault. Each scored.
Will probably be attention-grabbing to see if he adopts an analogous strategy towards the damaging Italians after certainly one of his three centre backs, Victor Lindelof, was left behind injured in Manchester on Monday. There may be a temptation to relaxation gamers forward of the derby.
'We haven't been fascinated by that in any respect,' Solskjaer insisted. 'I think you just have to look at the next game. We're in an honest place however you want a consequence away from residence to undergo, so all eyes are on this one.
'We've acquired gamers to play many alternative techniques: again three, 4 or 5. We've acquired huge males, wingers, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1. We seemed on the Tottenham sport and felt that to get extra management we performed that system and it labored.'
United usually are not wanting choices. Paul Pogba, obtainable after lacking the journey to Spurs by means of suspension, has been benched just lately together with Jadon Sancho. Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood have been substitutes at Tottenham however Solskjaer has advised them to grab their alternative when it arrives.
'That's all the time going to occur at Man United,' he stated. 'Players will go through difficult spells when they are not playing and that's when their character is revealed.
'We don't have time for anybody to sulk or not give vitality to the workforce. In case you are not within the beginning XI, you might be there to help your team-mates. It could possibly't be everybody is considering themselves. It's a workforce earlier than any particular person.'
