Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cannot take any foot wrong presently, the Norwegian has been an instant hit at the theater of dreams. The babyface assassin as Solskjaer was fondly called because of his ruthlessness in front of opposition goals returned to his old hunting ground this time as a caretaker manager at a period many regarded as a turbulent time for United. Not many would have expected such instant turn around, believe it or not, the results are speaking for Solskjaer. The defeat of Tottenham Hotspur makes it 5-straight win in the premier league and 6-straight in all competitions, beating former United manager Sir Matt Busby's straight wins of 5.
Sir Alexander Matthew Busby was Manchester United manager between 1945-1969 and then 1970-71. He was one of the greatest manager Manchester United ever had second to only the greatest Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Busby's reign at United brought a lot of laurels to Old Trafford, he started well with a winning streak of a 5-straight win which was halted by Chelsea in a 1 all draw at home.
Manchester United greatest manager to date, Sir Alex Ferguson did not have a rosy start to his reign, He started with just 1 win in his 1st 6 matches, Sir Alex started with a 2 nil defeat at Oxford United and his 1st win came in his 3rd match with a 1 nil home win of Queens Park Rangers. In fact, it was widely reported that Sir Alex was on the brink of losing his job in 1990 having been employed on November, 1986, but a FA Cup win over Crystal Palace saved his job. The rest they say is now a story, Sir Alex's 27-year reign produced trophies like never before in the club's history.
Sunday's win over title hopeful Tottenham Hotspur was Solskjaer 6th in a row in a competition and it was not just the win but the manner at which United was achieving the wins. The match against Spurs was regarded as Solskjaers 1st real test, only a few gave United a chance to pull such result at Wembley stadium, it was a test Solskjaer duly passed. The result now blew the race for UCL spot open and more feisty, only goals difference separates 6th placed United from 5th placed Arsenal, it could be recalled that the point gap between Arsenal and Manchester United was 8 points when Solskjaer took over from Mourinho. Solskjaer has been able to revitalize United's underperforming big boys, it was vintage David De Gea in goal for United against Spurs, as he produced some magnificent match-winning display, and not just De Gea but other United players too, Paul Pogba now playing like the Pogba United invested hugely in, Pogba's delightful pass found pacey Marcus Rashford who controlled the ball into his stride and finished off clinically from a tight angle.
Roll back the time to just above 3 weeks ago Dec 19th, 2018 when Solskjaers appointment raised eye-brows with divided opinion on his managerial track records and status for United pedigree. Many United fans were disappointed not to see Frenchman and former Real Madrid manager, Zinedine Zidane who is unattached, take over at Old Trafford, as his records and status better suits United. Ole Solskjaer started his coaching career with Manchester United U-23 squad in 2008, in his 3-year stint with the U-23, he managed a total of 25 matches, won 16, lost 4 and drew 5. He then moved on to seek greener pastures with a Norwegian club side, Molde FK (a club he once played for) in 2011, and guided them until 2013, during this time, Molde Fk won 68 matches, lost 31 and drew 24. He was soon on the move back to the UK, with Cardiff City where he managed them until he was relieved of the job in 2014 for poor performances, winning just 9 matches, lost 16 and drew 5 in a total of 30 matches. Solskjaer returned to Molde FK in 2015, and guided them in 118 matches, won 66, lost 33 and drew 19, He was still with Molde FK when United came calling.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as so far proven to be a worthy manager since joining United and there are calls to install him on a permanent basis, a valid or overzealous call? Nevertheless, Solskjaer has made history for Manchester United and deserve the accolades showering on him, however, calls to make him a permanent coach should be approached with caution as things can go bad as quickly as they start well. Let his end of the season assessment decide his fate.
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