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Quirk, quirk, quirk
The word ‘curse’ invokes the supernatural. Something built by forces of evil that the victim cannot control. So Mediawatch had to smile at this in the Manchester evening news:
‘Manchester United are in danger of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s curse hitting again after PSG defeat’
And what is this ‘curse’?
“One of the many peculiarities of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure at Manchester United is that his record in cup competition is so good, until it comes down to the moments when there is really pressure.”
Say ah. A “peculiarity” is defined in the dictionary as “a peculiar aspect of a person’s character or behavior.” What the MEN describe is a failure. It is not “strange” that a fairly average team under a fairly average coach has yet to win a trophy; it is logical.
Dead fred
Also in the MENS…
‘Scott McTominay did something that Fred couldn’t for Manchester United vs Paris Saint-Germain’
Was it ‘staying in the field’?
Die fred again
‘Paul Scholes explains why Manchester United did not replace Fred vs PSG’
Alternative headline: “Man defends his old partner.”
The blame game
The search for absolution Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of any real guilt (he’s ‘cursed’, you see) continues on United’s propaganda machine with this headline:
‘Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a mistake but two Manchester United players have to bear the blame’
Yes, because a coach who makes a thoughtful but ultimately ridiculous decision is nothing compared to a footballer who misses a couple of opportunities.
Anthony Martial showed why he was literally pushed aside by Cavani with an indifferent blow in the 49th minute that left Pogba on their knees in disbelief and Solskjaer in disgust. Seven is associated with a winger and Martial, after requesting to get back the ‘9’ last year, perhaps he should trade numbers with Cavani.
“Cavani still imitated Cantona with a compelling 25-yard chip that bounced off the crossbar and Martial hit Marquinhos on the rebound on a night the Frenchman was just as guilty as Fred.”
Was a player who missed opportunities “as guilty” as a player who should have been sent off for a header and a series of dangerous challenges? And are both of you more to blame than the coach who kept you on the field? Really?
Be! Be! Be!
This view is reflected in the match ratings in the Daily mail, who awarded Solskjaer 6/10 for his handling of a 3-1 loss, while Fred received 5/10 for a performance that should have ended after 21 minutes and Anthony Martial 5.5 / 10 for missing a great opportunity.
Oh, and Martin Samuel wrote a 1254 word match report and never mentioned the Manchester United manager. How weird.
Every now and then there’s a fool like Ole …
There is no question about the history of the night in Manchester and SunThe back cover tells us that “Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted that he may have made a mistake by failing to substitute for midfielder Fred before he was sent off.” The owner of your website? “Fred runs away from red card by header as Man Utd boss Solskjaer admits it was silly not a sub star before second yellow.”
Did balls admit he was “dumb”? He didn’t even admit that he “made a mistake.” He simply doubled down on his decision and blamed the referee.
“Fred played very disciplined in the second half and when he makes a tackle like this you can’t blame the boy. We talked at halftime and we just said ‘be sensible’ and it was, he played well.
“When the decision was made by the referee, you might look back and say you should have, but there was no reason for his performance to remove it.”
“Be sensible” is pathetic. Like any claim that Solskjaer somehow saw the error of his ways.
Other level
At Daily mirror, David McDonnell writes:
“An experienced and high-level coach would not have allowed him to leave for the second half, given the danger that the midfielder had experienced in the first 45 minutes.”
That’s being too nice to Solskjaer. Any coach, at any level, and indeed any sane person not named Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have made that substitution. His refusal was not an indication of inexperience but of ineptitude.
Slow and furious?
See this…
Neymar and Scott McTominay exchange views on footballing philosophies as teams head into halftime at Old Trafford ford pic.twitter.com/JHqtkQspmO
– Football at BT Sport (@btsportfootball) December 2, 2020
… and then tell us at what point that turned into a ‘raging blowout’ (Mail online)? Oh, and ‘the couple is forced to be SEPARATE’ doesn’t make sense with or without the strange capital letters.
McTOPinay
We had to remind ourselves that Manchester United lost, and that Scott McTominay was on the losing end, as we read these headlines:
‘McTominay, Manchester United midfielder, was hailed for stopping Mbappé with Rashford labeled’ unplayable ‘- Quick.
‘Manchester United loved Scott McTominay’s reaction to Neymar’ – Manchester evening news.
‘Neymar shaken by Scott McTominay during Manchester United vs PSG’ – GiveMeSport.
Can you claim moral victory?
Big glove
We are not saying Sun They’ve gotten carried away but claim that ‘Jurgen Klopp may have the next Manuel Neuer on his hands’ after Caoimhin Kelleher played a full Champions League match.
We’re not sure Neuer has let in seven goals for his club’s under-23 side.
Recommended reading of the day
Barney ronay on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s mistake
Mark ogden on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s mistake
Miguel Delaney on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s mistake
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