Ole: I've been brought up to attack teams
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists his attacking approach won’t change for this weekend’s trip to Tottenham and he doesn’t see the game as Manchester United’s first test since he became caretaker manager.
The Reds will be looking for a sixth successive win in all competitions under Solskjaer when travelling to the capital to face Spurs at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon (kick-off 16:30 GMT).
The north London outfit sit third in the Premier League and have won seven of their last eight games, including the last three without conceding a goal.
United have beaten Cardiff City, Huddersfield Town, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Reading so far since Ole took charge last month, scoring 16 goals in the process.
Although the Norwegian admitted you have to be aware of what rivals are good at, he is adamant that his front-foot approach will not change, regardless of the opposition.
“You always adapt to any opposition we play,” he told reporters in his press conference at the Aon Training Complex on Thursday evening.
“You all know the best teams in the league and of course we have to be aware of their strengths. But I've been brought up in a way that we need to attack teams. I think that's our strength as well, going forward and attacking, as a team when you look at us now the way we've played.
“We're not going to get as many chances to attack against these [Spurs] as we've had before, so we've got to be ready for when we get hold of the ball and play well with it to make sure we use the whole pitch because Wembley is a decent-sized pitch as well.”
‘WE’VE ALREADY HAD TESTS’
All four of Solskjaer’s league games in charge so far have been against teams currently in the bottom half of the table, prior to last weekend’s 2-0 Emirates FA Cup win over Championship side Reading.
Despite that, Ole firmly believes Sunday’s showdown with Spurs won’t be the first significant test of his reign.
“No - we've had tests,” he stated. “Newcastle away is also a test. The first game and how everyone reacted away to Cardiff is also a test. The first home game - how would the crowd affect it? That's also a test.
“You get tested in every single game in the Premier League, no doubt about it. But of course, this is against a top, top side and, of course, if we want to get closer to them and get past them, we need a good performance and a good result.”
‘KANE IS A TOP PROFESSIONAL’
Tottenham boast the Premier League’s joint top scorer this season in Harry Kane, who has 14 goals to his name – the same number as Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
As a former striker himself, Ole feels Spurs’ chief marksman is one of the best in the business in world football but he was quick to point out he has some potent attacking weapons of his own.
“He [Harry] is not bad, is he?” Ole joked. “Well, he's a fantastic goalscorer - one of the best in the world to play up there. Then again I've got a couple [of strikers] as well that I'm happy to work with.
“Having players like him [Kane], he's also a top, top professional and I'm sure whoever plays with him and trains with him can talk more about him. But from the outside, he's a fantastic finisher, he never misses chances really, so let's make sure he doesn't get any against us.”
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