Nemanja Matic during a home match

Matic: We'll be back after the break

Sunday 17 March 2019 22:33

Nemanja Matic is confident Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can reaffix the wheels on the Reds' bandwagon, after two successive defeats put the brakes on the momentum of the last three months.

Saturday night’s Emirates FA Cup quarter-final reverse at Wolves has cost United the chance of a domestic trophy.

It came on the back of the 2-0 loss at Arsenal in the Premier League that damaged the Reds' bid for a top-four place and with the international break now beginning, United will have to wait until Watford visit Old Trafford on 30 March for a chance to make amends.

However, Matic is convinced Solskjaer will restore the winning habit that he’d built up with 14 victories in 17 games prior to the recent blip; the Serbian knows the Reds cannot afford to allow the season to falter in the final two months.

“We will analyse this game to see where we made mistakes and see what we can do better,” said Nemanja after the match at Molineux.

"I am sure the manager will turn this situation around and we will do better. I want Ole to stay. He is a great manager, very positive.

Video: Wolves 2 United 1 Video

Video: Wolves 2 United 1

Watch the key moments from Saturday's Emirates FA Cup quarter-final tie at Molineux...

“After the international break we will see. The first game back after a break is always difficult, especially for a team who has so many players away in the national teams. Almost everybody at United is on duty.

“We spoke after the game against Wolves and said we have to be focused for the next one and stick together and get into the top four which is the main target for us.

“We have to give our best now to reach the top four. We cannot let it go like this.

“We are not happy with the game [against Wolves]. We will analyse everything. There is a lot to play for. We have eight games to play in the Premier League and we are fighting for the top four. We have the Champions League as well.

“We will see what we are able to do and how much quality we have. We have to learn from this type of game.

“Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham will give their best to be in the top four. Everybody knows that,” he added, speaking on the eve of Chelsea's surprise 2-0 loss at Everton.

“If you see that two months ago we were 11 points behind Chelsea, then now we are in a much better position [in the Premier League table]. We have eight finals to play for us so we have to learn from this defeat.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer congratulates Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

While Solskjaer described the 2-0 loss at Molineux as the worst performance of his time as caretaker boss since taking over in December, Matic saw a slightly different view from his vantage point on the pitch.

“I don’t think that we played bad but we have to be more clinical in the last third,” he said.

“Wolves let us have possession in the first half, let us have the ball but they showed they are very dangerous on the counter attack and they scored the second goal like that.

“We are sad we are out of the FA Cup, we gave everything but they were the better side and deserved to win. We have lost the last two games away to Arsenal and Wolves. I am not making an excuses but we have lost to two good sides.”

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