Will Old Trafford curse strike again for Solskjaer against Guardiola?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a habit of pulling out a result when he most needs it and comes out on top in head-to-head battle against Pep Guardiola… but has only beaten him ONCE in five games at Old Trafford
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finds himself once again battling to save his job
- The Norwegian earned breathing space following a big win over Tottenham
- Now Manchester United face rivals City and a big loss could be disasterous
- Yet Solskjaer has a habit of pulling off a big result against nemesis Pep Guardiola
There’s something about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his uncanny ability to squeeze a result from somewhere when it matters most.
It seems to be irrelevant how poorly Manchester United are performing, when the chips are down the Norwegian has somehow time and time again managed to dig a positive from somewhere and retain his status as Old Trafford boss.
While this may be comforting to some fans who still champion the appointment of Solskjaer and the sweet nostalgia it brings, many others are now growing anxious that the cycle will never be broken and United’s slow demise will continue.
Mediocrity is setting in yet Solskjaer retains the majority backing of the board, with a big win over Tottenham Hotspur recently serving to at least partially mask the 5-0 massacre at the hands of Liverpool.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finds himself again needing a bit result, with Pep Guardiola in his path
This weekend, however, United return to the scene of the gruesome death at Old Trafford and none other than bitter rivals City are the opposition.
One of the league’s most in-form sides arrive at a pivotal moment, and Solskjaer must deal with whatever Pep Guardiola can throw at him in order to keep his head above water.
Yet historically, things don’t look that bad. Solskjaer quite often comes up shining against City’s Spanish boss, but there is an element of an Old Trafford curse. Sportsmail took a closer look at the tale of the tape…
Almost all football fans and pundits alike will unanimously agree that Solskjaer is the tactically inferior of the two managers when pitted against Guardiola, yet that has never really seemed to matter to the United boss.
If anything, he almost thrives off it.
Guardiola’s globally accepted status as a football genius has benefitted Solskjaer in the past, freeing the shackles of pressure from his United side and enabling him to simply instruct his side to hit the noisy neighbours where it hurts.
Hitting City on the break has been successful for United and the likes of Marcus Rashford
Solskjaer has encountered Guardiola in eight games during his United reign and he’s won four of those and drawn one.
What’s more, in every one of those victories that United have secured against City under Solskjaer’s leadership, each have been underpinned by ruthless counter-attacking football.
Solskjaer has let City do their thing and instructed his troops to hit them on the break in clinical fashion. As a result the average possession of the Red Devils from those Manchester derby triumphs is just 32 per cent.
The wins
City 1-2 United, December 2019
Around a year after taking over Solskjaer entered the festive period by locking horns with Guardiola’s City at the Etihad, having suffered a home defeat earlier in the season.
He handled the tie in impressive fashion.
Goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial in the first half gave United the upper edge, and City were out of answers by the time Nicolas Otamendi managed to stump up a late consolation goal at the death.
City 0-1 United, January 2020 (Carabao Cup semi-final)
Another win over City for Solskjaer but ultimately not enough to take his side through this two-legged fixture.
Nonetheless, a dogged performance with the implementation of a back three enabled United to take victory courtesy of a Nemanja Matic goal.
Solskjaer was praised for his game management, while Guardiola later admitted to feeling anxious on the touchline as City battled to hold out to progress on aggregate.
Solskjaer has a habit of getting a result against City but performs better at the Etihad stadium
United 2-0 City, March 2020
This was arguably Solskjaer’s most impressive beating of Guardiola, this time with the use of a back five.
City found themselves lacking identity and confidence after falling behind rivals Liverpool in the title race, and United certainly made them pay.
Martial again found the back of the net for his manager, while United shored up the match in the pivotal moments and capped off a fine display with a late Scott McTominay smash-and-grab effort from distance.
Guardiola looked like a man with no answers and Solskjaer was quick to rejoice in a good evening’s work.
City 0-2 United, March 2021
One year later and United were at it again, beating City by a two goal margin under Solskjaer’s command.
City were, of course, pushing way into open water in the latter part of last season as far as the title race was concerned, but Solskjaer’s men held enough pride to travel to the Etihad and take all three points.
Goals from Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw slammed the brakes on City’s charge to the title, at least for the time being.
Again Solskjaer was credited with keeping to the basics and allowing Guardiola to overthink himself into a dark hole.
Old Trafford curse?
Those with an eye for detail may notice a slight pattern with the above results… not much success has occurred at Old Trafford.
Indeed, Solskjaer performs better on the road against Guardiola which is curious for a number of reasons.
Perhaps the status of being underdogs is much more comfortably worn when in the unfamiliar sky blue settings of the Etihad, and United feel the shifting of a burden as a result.
Old Trafford has proven something of a stumbling block for United against their local rivals
A popular Old Trafford theory originated last season when the Red Devils endured a torrid start to the campaign and simply could not collect victories at home. Was the pressure of the famous old stadium – heralded around the world as the Theatre of Dreams – getting too much?
Whatever the issue, United must somehow overcome it this weekend, particularly given that the ghosts of the recent Liverpool capitulation still hang in the air.
Of the five meetings at Old Trafford, Solskjaer has managed to beat Guardiola just once, drawing another 0-0 and losing three times.
The battleplan
Ahead of Saturday’s lunchtime showdown, it is interesting to muse over exactly how Solskjaer goes at this one.
Historical results suggest that the tried and tested method of allowing City to pass themselves to death before hitting them on the break would suffice… but United aren’t quite that same team any more.
For better or worse, whatever the opinion, the return of Cristiano Ronaldo has made a drastic impact.
The presence of the the iconic No 7 has made United much less of a full-throttle, lightning breakaway side, and more a case of possession-based builders searching for the talisman.
Whereas previously all pressure and expectance was on the shoulders of Fernandes to slalom through opponents before producing mouth-watering passes for the pace merchants Rashford, Martial and Mason Greenwood to latch onto, now it is a case of getting the ball into the feet of Ronaldo for him to play off the last man.
United are slightly less dynamic with Cristiano Ronaldo but know he is the man for the big day
Naturally, this could very much go one of two extreme ways against City.
When facing Liverpool, United found themselves void of all ideas and creativity, with Ronaldo cutting a frustrated figure as a result.
The Portuguese icon did of course get himself onto the score sheet with a sublime effort – as ever – though found his sumptuous strike chalked off for offside.
With less counter-attacking promised for Saturday’s showdown, United will very likely head into this titanic encounter hoping Ronaldo can, as he often does, be the man for the big occasion.
Solskjaer’s job will likely not hang entirely on the outcome of this one… but the thread will certainly start to wear ever more thin if his men are on the sore end of another huge upset.
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