Ole's post-match press conference
TranscriptSolskjaer sat down to answer questions from reporters after United's point in South Yorkshire...
Q: At 2-0 down, things were going very much against you, what were you thinking on the sidelines? Would you agree it was a very poor performance up until then? Very poor performance. And, to be honest with you, I was thinking back to Everton, because that team gave up and this team didn’t. When we turned it around, it was a great answer to get from the boys. We did play baldly in the first half, we didn’t win any challenges, we didn’t stick to what we had planned. But to be able to shake those fears away when you’re 2-0 down and not to give up - we don’t expect them to give up, but last year they did. This year we didn’t, so it’s a massive difference in that respect. Q: So your overriding feeling is positive? Now, yeah. Even though the big part of this game is very negative and you’re disappointed with it, but that’s football for you. To have the character to stick in there and turn it around to 3-2 - we could have had four - was great. You’re disappointed at the end that you don’t hold onto the lead. Q: You talk about the Everton game, a lot of players that were there are still here now. How have they changed mentally and have any of the new players contributed in that respect? I think you can see there. We’ve brought young players on with Mason, of course Brandon scores the goal. You’ve got three lads that we’ve signed who have made a very good impact. For me, the boys will have learnt a lesson from the first 70 minutes and in the 95th, or whenever they scored. But the biggest part of it must be the way they’ve had the character to stay in the game and turn it around. Q: Phil Jones got a lot of stick in the first half and you replaced him, what does that say about his performance? We had to go for it in the second half and we had to put another attacker on. I could have changed 11 players at half-time, well apart from the keeper, because David kept us in it. He would have saved the last one if not for a slight deflection on Harry’s thigh as well. That was a tactical thing, but today wasn’t about tactics, it was about the desire we lacked in the first half and they had. You’ve got to earn the right to win a game and we didn’t have any right to win a game after 70 minutes. Q: Would you said that was the angriest you’ve been at half-time? Angry, disappointed, I don’t know what emotions you want to say. But I had to wake them up, I had to do something about it. It can change so much in players’ heads, young players’ heads. Remember these boys are young and they got the belief after the first goal. It was probably the first time Dan James went past Stevens and he put a great cross in and it was fantastic finish by Brandon. Suddenly we’re on the front foot, we’re on the up and the boys were trying things. They’d left the fear away. Q: Mason took his goal very well. He’s been threatening that. How pleased were you with his impact? He’s a goalscorer, I’ve always said it. I did an interview this week about the number of minutes you need to make an impact and he definitely made an impact today. The way we’ve turned this bad 70 minutes into a positive feeling is good. Q: Can you talk us though the team selection and the change in system. Why did you feel you had to make that change? Was it because of Sheffield United or because of the players at your disposal? Your subs changed the game in a positive way but then Axel coming on, what was the thinking in that? There are different reasons. Obviously, we’re light in midfield because Scotty is away. We could have started with Jones in there because he’s played there for England. We’ve played well in a back three against Chelsea away and Liverpool at home. It wasn’t about tactics today, it was about the desire in the first half: getting to the ball first, on the front foot, tacking, winning challenges. Sometimes tactics are just thrown out the window and today it was all about the desire. Q: You talk about the lack of desire, how worrying is that for you? They’re young. It’s not a lack of desire, it’s maybe that confidence in themselves. Andreas and Fred in midfield, they’ve never played together before. But the way we came out after they scored the second goal was excellent. I don’t doubt them wanting to win but sometimes young players don’t always know how to win challenges like this. We must have learnt a lot today, I’m sure they have. Q: How do you go about changing that from here? Play like you did in the 10 minutes when we scored. Just release the fears, play with belief and confidence. They’ve come though the Academy most of these boys. Mason came on and played with no fears, Brandon is great. It’s something you try to teach them but along the way, in the Academy, you don’t play in these games. They will have learnt a lot from these 90 minutes and there will be some pluses as well.