Solskjaer: Hopefully this will wake the lads up

Tuesday 18 May 2021 21:23

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had conflicting emotions after Manchester United drew 1-1 with Fulham in our final home fixture of 2020/21.

The boss was buzzing to see around 10,000 supporters return to the Theatre of Dreams for our penultimate Premier League game, and delighted to see Edinson Cavani score one of the best goals of the campaign.

But the Norwegian was disappointed in much of what followed, as Fulham worked their way back into the game and found an equaliser via Joe Bryan's second-half header.

When club media caught up with Ole post-match, he told us what it felt like to get the fans back after 14 long months, what worried him about our performance, and what we need to do to build momentum for the Europa League final.

Scroll down to read every word he had to say...
Ole: Fans gave us the buzz and energy Video

Ole: Fans gave us the buzz and energy

Solskjaer reacts to seeing supporters back at Old Trafford, and Cavani introducing himself to the Stretford End…

SO HAPPY TO WELCOME OUR FANS BACK

“Fantastic. Walking in here with the buzz, the energy, hearing the chants. I know the players really appreciate it. They maybe overdid the play at times. I thought we were too loose, too fancy, wanting to do flicks and backheels. Tricks when you don’t need to. That was the disappointing bit, but it was with good intentions. They wanted the crowd to have a good day.”

EXCEPTIONAL EDINSON

“How good was Cavani's goal? Oh, top. That was the highlight obviously. What a way to introduce himself to the Stretford End. I know I’ve said it a long time, but we need fans here and they’re going to see him score many goals for us. That was an excellent finish, and the way he works to get his chances as well is exceptional.”

MADE TO PAY FOR OUR MISSED CHANCES

“Yeah, we played well, we created chances, but we couldn’t take them. But then, if you don’t take them, anything can bite you in the Premier League. Good players, good teams. It was a good cross and a good header. We should have dealt with it better though.”

I DIDN'T LIKE OUR DECISION-MAKING

“Yeah, we wanted to win. Not because of second or third position – we wanted to gain momentum, gain confidence, because we’ve lost too many points in the last week. Hopefully that won’t dent the confidence. Hopefully it will just wake them up. We made too many decisions that I didn’t like.”

90 in 20: United 1 Fulham 1 Video

90 in 20: United 1 Fulham 1

The extended highlights of our final home game of the season are available to watch now...

MORE FANS WILL HELP US

“I’ve missed the Stretford End sucking the ball in towards the end of games and I’m sure when we get everyone back in, we’ll get some more joy.”

ROTATION AGAINST WOLVES

“Yeah, there'll be some changes of course. We have to look after ourselves. We need to get to Poland with loads of energy and good confidence. We need to train well and prepare well, and let’s see what we do on Sunday.”

Recommended: