Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first big test as Manchester United manager
With an unbeaten start to his Premier League campaign, Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to face his first real test as United manager when his side travels to London to play at Wembley against Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday.
Having won his first 5 games impressively with a margin of at least 2 goals, Spurs will be the first big team Solskjaer will face after he was announced as Manchester United manager following Mourinho’s defeat against Liverpool.
Spurs have lost just once in their last 11 games this season while Manchester United are on a five-game winning streak which has helped them to close the gap to Arsenal in 5th position. Last time these two teams met, Spurs thrashed a spineless United at Old Trafford 3-0, thanks to goals from Lucas Moura and Harry Kane.
This time the story looks quite different as United have definitely made a lot of progress under their new manager. The Red Devils have scored 16 goals in the last five games with Paul Pogba regaining form.
On the under hand, Spurs are also in good form ahead of the fixture. They have recovered from the defeat against Wolves and are on a three-game winning streak in all competitions. This game will be the last involvement of Son Heung-min before he departs to the UAE for the 2019 Asian Cup.
The Korean international has been in fine form scoring eight and assisting four in his last nine Premier League appearances for Spurs. After a slow start to the season, Harry Kane is back among the goals with five in his last four Premier League appearances. It is going to be a tough game for the United manager to stop Spurs' attackers at Wembley.
On the other hand, Wembley hasn’t been Spurs’s happy home this season having lost three games already at their home ground. Both the teams started their year with a win against relegation-fighting clubs. Manchester United won 2-0 against Newcastle with Rashford and Lukaku on the scoresheet. On the other hand, Spurs had a comfortable win over Cardiff.
After just five matches, Solskjaer has won over the hearts of all the Manchester United fans. The way he asks his team to play reminds the fans of Sir Alex’s era at Old Trafford. This will be one of those tests for Solskjaer which will decide whether he is the perfect long-term manager at Manchester United. A win here will definitely strengthen his credentials.