Solskjaer details tactical tweak

The Reds will be looking to extinguish any lingering thoughts of last weekend’s defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford when we make the trip south to the capital to face a Spurs side who currently sit one point ahead of United heading into this weekend’s round of fixtures.

Solskjaer has revealed the Reds are playing a slightly different way this term and he is concerned at how open we have been at times.

When asked if he had considered a change in shape, following the goals leaked against Leicester City and Liverpool in the past two league games, Ole replied: “Of course you think about it all the time, you think about those fine tactical tweaks.

“We’ve tried over the last two seasons to develop the way we play and to get better and fine-tune that way of playing. You get criticised when you play two defensive midfielders and we have, so, this year, we have tried to release one of the midfielders forward and maybe leave the full-backs further back.

“With more players behind the ball, we’ve actually got counter-attacked more and, therefore, been more open, that’s something we tried for a few games. You think okay, maybe we are too open. We went back to just Scott [McTominay] and Fred on Sunday and were still too open, there is no hiding that we are too open.

“But, as I said, part of that reason was, in some of these games, we have had to just go for it, we’ve had poor starts and, therefore, we’ve been forced to chase the game, that’s not easy. In a way, we’ve been a boxer trying to make up for being knocked down in the first half. The short answer, sorry, is yes, we’ve looked at different options, of course.”

In terms of team selection, the Reds will be buoyed by returning French pair Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane, with Ole indicating that both have now recovered from injuries they sustained whilst on international duty and will be pushing to make a return.

Paul Pogba will begin a three-match suspension following the straight red card he received after VAR intervened and overturned his initial yellow card awarded by referee Anthony Taylor last weekend.

With a fully fit squad to choose from, Ole was asked if skipper Harry Maguire was "droppable" by a journalist during the press conference and his response suggested that no-one's place in the team is guaranteed.

“I’ve got to be careful here because I know what headlines are going to be,” was the manager's reply. “'Ole’s going to drop Harry'.

“In the squad like we have, with top-quality players, everyone expects to play. I expect every single one of them to expect to play, they are sat there ready and they all know that they have good team-mates around them.

“No-one is 'undroppable', of course they're not. But it’s up to me, as manager, to pick the right team for the games and to see who’s in the right frame of mind for Saturday and then Tuesday in the Champions League [away to Atalanta].”