Manchester United has made Ole Gunnar Solskjaer their permanent manager. Too many Chelsea fans seem convinced he will now fail.
When Jose Mourinho was sacked and replaced by Manchester United’s own Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the team was in a distance sixth place. They were eight points off fifth, 11 off of Chelsea in fourth, and a whopping 19 points off of Liverpool in first. By all accounts, their season was over and they were looking for a former player to just guide them through the rest of the season as painlessly as possible.
Fast forward to now when Solskjaer has become the permanent manager. United is now fifth but only two points off of Arsenal in fourth. Chelsea has dropped to sixth while being a point behind United. They have also overtaken Paris Saint Germain to advance in the Champions League. Solskjaer has breathed life back into a United side that had been lost since Sir Alex Ferguson left.
The momentum in the top four race is strongly in United’s favor. But search Solskjaer’s name and see how Chelsea fans are reacting to the appointment and it would seem as though the Norwegian is due to crash and burn. He is living inside Chelsea fans’ heads. But why?
Roberto Di Matteo could be one possible answer. Di Matteo took over at Chelsea under similar (though not exactly the same) circumstances. Both were loved as players and both performed miracles along the way. Di Matteo was appointed full time to much celebration.
But in the next season, Di Matteo’s style was found out. He was sacked after Chelsea crashed out of the Champions League group stage. So fans draw that parallel between the initial success and the subsequent crash.
The Maurizio Sarri backers have another reason to be apprehensive. Jose Mourinho was replaced by a vastly less experienced manager who had been a great player for the club. Through returning to what the club did before, Solskjaer has made United look like United again.
Sarri, meanwhile, has attempted to change the style of Chelsea and has hit many pot holes along the way. He has been on the verge of a sack a few times this season and each time similar names pop up as his successor: Steve Holland, Frank Lampard, and John Terry.
Holland obviously did not play for Chelsea, but he had very much been a part of Chelsea’s success in the last decade. Terry likely does not have the badges required. Lampard is the most direct parallel as he is early into his managerial career at a lower level.
There is a sense that Lampard, much like Solskjaer at United, would make Chelsea what they used to be. And what they used to be runs counter to what Sarri is trying to make the club. So when Solskjaer succeeds, it empowers a SarriOut contingent while scaring a SarriIn contingent who do not believe Lampard has the experience or will get the backing he needs.
All of these things manifest themselves as a belief that Solskjaer will now fail having been given the job. His record so far indicates that is not likely. Solskjaer is not remaking the wheel at United but he has freed them to be themselves. That was what the club needed after Mourinho and they seem to have seen enough to trust Solskjaer going forward.