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After passing the litmus test with a win against Tottenham Hotspurs at Wembley, the new caretaker manager of Manchester United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has proved beyond doubt that he means business. It's fair to say that life is returning to normalcy at Old Trafford.
Here are 5 key changes introduced by the caretaker manager in his attempt to bring back the glory days at Old Trafford and all of them seem to have worked wonders so far.
#5 Youth, Pace & Attack
Infusing youth in the team can do things that not many can think of. They are fearless, have great energy and are raring to prove their worth to the world.
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A big example of this would be the goal scored by Rashford against Tottenham last night. Most seasoned forwards (as also confessed by Solksjaer in his post-match interview on BBC Sport) would have gone for the near post with a powerful shot hoping the keeper wouldn't get down in time.
Rashford, on the other hand, went for the far post with slightest of gaps available knowing if he could hit it, it'd be a sure goal. Alas! he scored. The fearlessness of youth!
With Rashford, Martial and Lingard not used consistently and together under Mourinho, this is the single most important thing that was missing at United before Ole took over.
We did see genuine glimpses of this from the three, but usually, the opportunities created by them were squandered by poor first touches of Lukaku or maybe Alexis not anticipating a pass at times.
The FA Cup winner by Zlatan Ibrahimovic two seasons ago was set up after a blistering run by Lingard from his own half.
Martial's goal against Liverpool on debut and the latest goal by Rashford against Tottenham last night are just a few examples of how their pace has done wonders. I only wonder the heights they can take the Red Devils to when they start playing together regularly.
As they say, by not conceding goals you only ensure you do not lose but to win you need to score goals. Solksjaer has changed the style of play to be more attack minded.
The way this impacts the team is that this simple change in style at first resonates with the deep-rooted football culture at the club and second more importantly resonates with the instinctive play of majority of the players at the club.
There is no doubt that players like Rashford, Pogba, Martial, Lingard are always trying to press higher but even the fullbacks in Young and Shaw inherently have the knack to press higher every time they have a chance.
I still can't forget the amazing partnership Shaw and Depay had on the left flank during the LVG days before the English left-back fractured his leg.
The defensive approach by no means is inferior but its all about "fit". The Italians excelled with that approach for years. It's just how good they were with it. It was ingrained in their system unlike that at United where the philosophy is different.
#4 Freedom with responsibility
In the Premier League this season, Manchester United have averaged 1.7 goals per game under Jose Mourinho and 3 goals per game Ole Gunnar Solskjaer so far.
Even though the sample set for Solksjaer is almost one-third of that of Mourinho, the near doubling of average goals scored per games increases the team's chances of winning any given day.
The below table shows that except for 2001/02 season, every season in which United has averaged more than 2 goals per game in a season, they have had a top two finish pretty much guaranteed.
One of the most important reasons for this transformation under Solksjaer has been his 'Freedom with responsibility' philosophy.
He has, in what seems like, unlocked the shackles off of all his players especially the most creative attacking players like Pogba (4 goals & 4 assists in 5 games) and the trio of Rashford, Martial and Lingard (7 goals and 4 assists in 5 games).
While they have been given the freedom to be creative and play fast-paced attacking football, they have also been given the responsibilities to come and defend when the possession is lost.
Pogba can be seen in his own box almost always when the opponents are attacking. Martial and Rashford cover the full backs well when under attack.
In the game with Tottenham, unlike the Spurs full-backs who were constantly pressing up which eventually led to the goal, United's full-backs were attacking cautiously.
Additionally, Solksjaer has shown his continued trust in Ander Herrera. Herrera had been a constant performer under Mourinho but seldom got the recognition he deserved.
With four starts in five games in the Premier League under Solskjaer, he has been like a solid rock sitting on top of the defense.
#3 Discipline with expression
Even though Solksjaer has time and again mentioned how important he feels attacking is to Manchester United's core philosophy, he has maintained the discipline in the team with the freedom given to the players to express themselves on the pitch.
Players are allowed to follow their instincts but also need to keep track of the core game plans set by Solskjaer, Mike Phelan and Michael Carrick.
Following on the gaffer's thoughts that players of United not only represent the club on the pitch but also off it, Solskjaer has ensured proper behavior off the pitch as well.
In the four weeks so far since the former United striker has taken over, there have hardly been any player controversies in the media.
On the contrary, the players have been repeatedly posting positive thoughts on the renewed style of play at Manchester United now.
#2 Positive spirit and composure
The Caretaker manager's very personality and presence seem to give very positive vibes to those around him and that is exactly what seems to have lifted the spirits at Old Trafford.
His composure and ability to keep extreme emotions in check are quite different from those of Sir Alex Ferguson.
But do not let these qualities of Solskjaer fool you with a thought that he is too much of a nice guy to last the extreme pressures at top-flight English football.
He has been in coaching for almost 10 years now. He has won leagues and cups with Molde in Norway. He has seen his team Cardiff City relegated in 2014. He has made a lot of mistakes already as a manager and learned from them.
Most of his contemporaries like Nicky Butt, who has been managing the reserves team now, Michael Carrick and Rio Ferdinand have mentioned that he has another side to his personality very capable of making OGS have his own 'hairdryer' treatment for the players if need be.
Undoubtedly, a must to keep his players in check given the flamboyant nature of football these days.
In short, he is not a newbie to the world of football management and has his own strengths to draw from but a couple of his biggest assets are the positive spirit he brings wherever he goes and his calm demeanor.
#1 The Manchester United Model - bringing the culture back
"Manchester United is family, tradition, history, giving youth a chance, attacking football and winning." - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
This quote from the caretaker manager pretty much sums up what he is trying to get back at Old Trafford, something that has been missing in its entirety ever since Ferguson retired.
These words pretty much epitomize the Manchester United model from years before.
As they say to get the "Culture" right and you have solved 50% of your organization's problems.
Although it is an equally difficult task to perform for someone who has not lived the Manchester United culture himself. That is probably why Moyes, LVG, Mourinho found it difficult.
They all had their models, philosophies, styles which were by no means wrong. They have all been successful managers in football. As it seems now, they were just not the right fit for the "Manchester United Model".
