Danny Blind is unimpressed with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s performance with Manchester United. The assistant national coach of the Dutch national team shows himself in an interview with the Daily Mirror extremely critical of the game concept of the Red Devils. He doubts Solskjaer is the right person to turn the tide, although Blind advises against a manager change at the moment.
“What is the identity of this team?” Blind wonders, before turning to Solskjaer. “What is his plan? That is exactly what it lacks with Solskjaer. There is no tactical plan. His team is not able to put pressure on opponents like Manchester City do. You don’t always have to clap with full dedication, but we don’t see it at all.” Manchester United are currently in fourth place in the Premier League, with 14 points from seven matches. They are only two points behind leaders Chelsea, but Blind is not convinced. “Everything at Manchester United is based on the qualities of individual players. They have qualities and can often secure a result for the team. But it is never a team result.”
Last Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Everton was exemplary of the lack of a convincing game view, according to Blind. “Manchester United struggle to play dominant football, that’s the problem. After they took the lead against Everton, they waited for the opponent in their own half. They wanted to score on the counter, but that’s not good enough for a club like Manchester United After the equalizer they couldn’t turn the game around They created almost no chances The results were disappointing They lost to Young Boys, to West Ham United in the EFL Cup, to Aston Villa, and they were lucky against “Villarreal in the Champions League because of Ronaldo’s qualities. Another draw against Everton followed. It has to be better and it can be better.”
Solskjaer has been at the helm of Old Trafford since December 2018, after coming over from Molde FK. “We cannot say that Solskjaer had a long career as a top manager before he came to Manchester United,” said Blind. “Yes, he became champion in Norway, but that’s another level. I can see why he gets more time than other coaches would get. He’s a kid of the club. He scored the legendary goal in 1999 that helped them win the Champions League “But what is being done now is not enough. Whatever you think of Solskjaer as a manager, this is not the time for a manager change. They are not far behind in the Premier League, although they have lost more games than you would expect. .”
It is not entirely clear why Blind by the Daily Mirror has been interviewed about the fortunes of Manchester United, although his son Daley played for the club between 2014 and 2018. He is now the right-hand man of Van Gaal, himself a former coach of the club. The the Dutch squad currently does not include players from Manchester United, although Donny van de Beek was included in the preselection for the previous international match. The interview is shared by various English media. The Daily Mirror speaks of a ‘savage attack’ by Blind, while the Manchester Evening News notes that Manchester United’s tactics are ‘brutally mocked’ by the Dutch’s assistant.