Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes he'll learn more about his Manchester United players in this afternoon's tough test against Tottenham, but insists the team are capable of beating anyone.
The Reds take on third-placed Spurs in the Premier League at Wembley Stadium in the 16:30 GMT kick-off.
The north London outfit have only lost one of their last 11 games in all competitions and have won all three of their matches so far in 2019, scoring 11 goals without conceding in the process.
However, as we go in search of a sixth successive victory under Solskjaer, the Norwegian feels we can make it a difficult afternoon for Spurs too and - regardless of what happens - he will learn more about his players.
“Of course it will be tough but, then again, we can make it tough for them,”
said Ole, when speaking to MUTV during our warm-weather training camp in Dubai this week.
“They [Spurs] have got strengths and weaknesses, as have we, so it’s one of those games that we’ll need, and the cup game against Arsenal, before we go into the Champions League against PSG because that’s the ultimate test.
”So, for me, the Spurs game isn’t the be all and end all. Of course it’s important, but it’s preparation for the rest of the season and the way going forward. We’ve won five games and you learn so much by winning but, when you get these tougher games, then you learn more about the personalities and how they deal with these situations.“
With five wins on the bounce, confidence is high and Ole feels, in this kind of form, the Reds are capable of beating any opponent we come up against.
“Of course, when you win five you can win the next one and then the next one and then the next one, but don’t look too far ahead,”
he said. “At the moment we have Spurs to come and we can win that one if we do everything right but we know we’re capable of beating anyone.”
The Reds will face a stiff examination as we bid to win away against Spurs in the league for the first time since 2012.
“I didn’t know that statistic!,” said Ole. “Before I retired [in 2007] I think we had a good history against Spurs, but the world has changed and they’ve really come good Spurs - I have to say that. We’re looking forward to it [the game].”
Solskjaer scored seven times against Spurs during his playing career at United - more than against any other opponent - and he has many memories of facing the capital club.
“2-0 at home in one of my first games in ’96, I scored both - one was a great pass from Giggsy I remember,”
he recalled. “I scored quite a few goals against them and then, of course, the 5-3 win away from home when we were 3-0 down at half-time and we turned it around. That’s the standout memory for me.”
MUTV will have 90 minutes of live build-up to Tottenham v United from 15:00 GMT this afternoon (Sunday), ahead of kick-off at 16:30 GMT.
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