Solskjaer's verdict on United 0 Arsenal 1
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has given his verdict on Manchester United's 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League.
The Reds controlled more of the possession and had more shots at goal, but were unfortunately beaten at Old Trafford by a second-half penalty from Gunners striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after 69 minutes.
United tried to score an equaliser late on and came close when Donny van de Beek's cross struck the near post via two deflections, but, in the end, a goal could not be found.
Here's what Ole said after the final whistle while speaking to Sky Sports, club media and journalists at his press conference...
Ole disappointed with United against Arsenal
"There’s a good group there that wants to win and they'll get back at it.,” says the manager in our interview...
ASSESSING THE PERFORMANCE
“In the first half, we never turned up. The intensity, the tempo wasn't there, the shape - they were better than us and created a couple of half-decent chances. In the second half, they didn't look like they were going to score, apart from the penalty. So we played better in the second half but still we have to turn up with more intensity.”
WHY WE DIDN’T PERFORM
“There are many reasons. Of course, but it might be a reason when you play well and you think you take your foot off the pedal. But that's not how it works because this was a big game and they're a very good team. You have to be absolutely spot-on with everything. When you're late in the tackle, they get away from you and you give a foul away. We weren't at the races.”
ANALYSING THE MIDFIELD DIAMOND
“The formation is down to the opposition. It depends on the team you play against and how you execute that shape yourself. Of course, today we were too sloppy, too many passes went astray and the rotations weren't there. Too many things can go wrong in a game of football that maybe went wrong for us.”
“We know there's a reason behind big squads in football. You want to perform time and time again but it's not possible. With the highs of the PSG game, it was a little bit okay against Chelsea and we were very good against Leipzig. We're down again today and it's the consistency. That is the amount of players we've got and, today, we didn't get the response we hoped for.”
POGBA KNOWS IT WAS A SOFT PENALTY
“He's got to stay on his feet there – the boy [Hector Bellerin] is on his way out of the box and Paul knows it's a soft penalty to give away. Similar to Nemanja [Matic], who almost got a penalty and there was more contact there than what Paul makes, but that’s another decision.”
United 0 Arsenal 1: Ole's press conference
Watch what the manager said when speaking to journalists in the post-match press conference at Old Trafford...
“Home and away form is out of the window really with no fans in the stadium. Definitely, 100 per cent it is a big factor. You can't really look at that and you can just look at the stats to see the amount of away wins compared to home wins. It's maybe 60-40 to away from home. So that home form and away form doesn't really mean too much. We played fantastically on Wednesday night and now we lose. We need to get points on board. Last season, as well, we didn't get the third win until the 10th game and now we're six games in and it's only two wins. We need to focus on next week and Everton.”
PROGRESS IN 100 GAMES
“It's not my job to say - it's probably for everyone else to say. Me, I'm just keeping on the work for the next one. For me, there’s a good group that wants to win, that wants to go forward, that wants to work hard and today they go home disappointed. I know these boys and they'll get back at it.”
Pogba apologises for penalty concession
Paul speaks openly and honestly about his role in Arsenal's penalty, during this candid interview...
CRITICISM FROM ROY KEANE
"First half, there were no tackles and no fight and football is now about creating that atmosphere yourself. These games against Arsenal were always fiery and fierce with tackles flying. We didn’t have the tempo and intensity today, I can agree with [him on] that absolutely. I was disappointed with our first-half performance."
WE NEED A REACTION
"For me, 0-0 was written all over it. First half, we were very disappointed with the performance. Second half, I thought that’s a better performance. We were putting some pressure on them. Of course, we gave a soft penalty away which is disappointing, unnecessary really, but things like this happen. We seemed a bit leggy. I know these players well enough. They’ll be disappointed tonight and go back to their families but be ready again on Wednesday night for a big game [against Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey]."