Solskjaer's reign shows we can go on a big run

It is no secret that the Reds are hurting right now following a disappointing sequence of results in the Premier League, including those one-sided defeats to historic rivals Manchester City and Liverpool, but the manager is adamant we can turns things around immediately. 

Solskjaer memorably began his reign as United manager with a morale-boosting 11-match unbeaten run that included 10 wins. The Norwegian followed that up during the 2019/20 season by masterminding a 19-game stretch that set a new club record in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. 

After an inconsistent start to 2020/21, Ole’s Reds put together a 14-match unbeaten run from January and, impressively, did not lose a single Premier League away match all campaign. 

This group of players remains united and knows how to bounce back: the challenge is to focus on one game at a time, beginning with this Saturday’s trip to Watford at Vicarage Road. 

“We've been through periods like this before,” said Solskjaer in his press conference. “Our away form should give us confidence, what we’ve done. We've just gone 30 games away and lost one or whatever we have. Last season, we turned it around as well on a run with 20 games and one defeat. 

“That’s the kind of run we have to get back to. This week, we’ve worked on a few things, we’ve prioritised a few things that we have to improve on. We know the run of form hasn't been good and that performances haven’t been good enough.

“We know we can do better, we know we should do better and we think we will do better. It's down to performances on the day, human beings, sometimes you hit the post and it goes out and sometimes it goes in. That can change the mood, the atmosphere. 

“We've just got to focus on getting a good start tomorrow [Saturday] and build on a good start.”

A number of our first-team players represented their countries during the international break and, as such, Solskjaer allowed the rest of the squad to enjoy some beneficial time off. The manager also returned to Norway for a period of rest to ensure he is recharged for the challenges at hand. 

“The first thing you want to do after a defeat is to get back at the training ground and work on things,” the boss told journalists. “To be honest, as I said when we left for the international break, we felt it was a good time to refresh our minds. Some players have stayed here working on individual recovery, some have been allowed to go home to their countries to freshen up their minds. 

“Everyone's kept in touch with staff and that’s one of the things we’ve learned over the last couple of years, with the technology, with the Zoom or Teams. My staff have worked really hard to get everyone ready. From Monday onwards, we’ve worked really hard. 

“We've corrected a few things, put a few things right. We’ve, of course, made sure we've prioritised a couple of things that needed to improve the most. I'm sure we'll see a reaction and a good team performance tomorrow [Saturday]."

Watford v United kicks off at 15:00 GMT on Saturday.