Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Under-rated United manager

“🎵Late in May in 1999, Ole scored a goal in extra time! What a feeling! What a night!🎵”

Ole the Red

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Bayern Munich. A player and a club that are inextricably linked forever as part of arguably the greatest moment in club footballing history.

26th of May, 1999. Bayern Munich were counting down the seconds before they got their hands on a historic treble. Their opponents, a weary Manchester United were clinging on in a bid to finish their very own treble.

United equalised through Teddy Sheringham on 91′, and Solskjaer won another corner for United shortly after. David Beckham ran over to the corner and the rest is history as Clive Tyldesley exclaimed: “Beckham… Into Sheringham… AND SOLSKJAER HAS WON IT!!”

These words have been engraved into the memories of United fans like Manchester United’s names was engraved on that Champions League trophy. The Norweigian hero had sunk the German Battleship with the final kick of the game and this goal etched Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s name into the rich tapestry of Manchester United’s history and forevermore dubbed him the moniker of “20Legend.”

But it wasn’t just a flash-in-the-pan.

As older reds will tell you, Solskjaer had knack for scoring important goals, and he was fairly prolific. His record at United was around 1-in-3, but these were often substitute appearances; playing second fiddle to the likes of Yorke, Cole and Ruud Van Nistelrooy in his United career.

Now, this is a contentious topic between the fanbase – Was Ole’s tenure as United Manager a Success? The Norweigian oversaw a massive effort to make Manchester United a worthy challenger in the League. Ole, in his first full season as United boss, took United to 3 semi-finals, and finish 3rd. The following season United again went far in all the cup competitions, getting to a quarter final, a semi-final and the final of the Europa Legaue. United also finished 2nd in the League, marking the first time since Sir Alex retired that a United manager got back to back top-4 League finishes. However, silverware was not to be on Ole’s cards, as the closest he got to a trophy with United was the Europa League final, where he was a penalty save (or score) away from winning his first trophy as United Manger.

Alas, it wasn’t to be. Ole was sacked following a disastrous run of form in a season where the expectations were very high after signing Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho, and Cristiano Ronaldo. The lack of silverware in Ole’s tenure has always been used as his biggest criticism by a portion of the fanbase. However, the fact that he was the only manager since Sir Alex to get United in the top 4 of the League, a task that hadn’t happened before (and judging by this season, won’t be repeated for a while), is a big achievement in the eyes of the remaining portion of the fanbase. It may have soured towards the end but the good times under Ole were some of my best memories of supporting United in the last decade.

Ole at Bayern?

Now, in a rather hilarious twist of fate. It seems that 25 years after saving Manchester United from Bayern Munich, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might get the chance to save Bayern Munich from a car crash of a season they have found themselves in. The appointment of Thomas Tuchel as Bayern manager has spelled nothing but disaster for Bayern, who themselves out of the domestic cup and 10 points adrift of Bundesliga leaders, Bayer Leverkusen. The club has already announced that Tuchel will leave the club at the end of the season, but if the dismal results continue, they might look to remove Tuchel even earlier. The club has signed Harry Kane and seemingly turned into the new Tottenham (Who saw that coming?)

According to Florian Plettenberg, if Tuchel is to be sacked, then Bayern may consider the United legend as an interim coach for the rest of the season to try and salvage any hope of winning the Bundesliga. He further reports that Ole would be willing to sign an interim contract. Life is funny, isn’t it?

Ole has gone on record stating that he has turned some managerial offers because after managing Manchester United, his next managerial job should be a good challenge. What better challenge than to help Bayern Munich overcome a 10 point deficit to pip Bayer Leverkusen?

Bayern fans, don’t believe the internet trolls, or some of the hate spewing sections of the United Fanbase. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a damn fine manager. He has experience with managing a big club, with the high pressure and scrutiny that come with managing a top club, he has proven time and again he is not a tactically inept manager (just ask Pep Guardiola how many times he’s been left red-faced by Ole). With a structured club and top-draw quality team like Bayern Munich, Ole will be inheriting a team 10 times better than the one he inherited at United. His interim managerial spell for United was one of the best runs the Premier League had seen. Under Ole, Manchester United played with a fluid, ruthless front line that scored 60 goals between the 3 of them. Additionally, to put it very bluntly, he can’t do any worse than Tuchel already has.

Tuchel has been playing a very rigid style of football, which his players clearly aren’t fans of (Just ask Thomas Müller). Ole’s free-flowing, pacey style of transitional football suits the Bundesliga and this Bayern Munich team to a T. The players at Bayern look like they can use some freedom in their playstyle, enter Ole Gunnar Solskjaer! Manchester United scored more 5-0 victories under Ole than any other manager post Sir Alex. United had some brilliant 3rd man runs under Ole that haven’t been seen. Now imagine how good it’d look with the likes of Kimmich, Müller, Davies, and of course, Harry Kane! The English striker was linked to a move to United under Solskjaer, but it failed to materialise.

With this stacked Bayern side, Ole will be able to play the front-footed football he couldn’t implement at United due to lack of personnel. The structured state of Bayern’s affairs will no doubt help Ole in a way United under the Glazers could never have. A lot of United fans look back on Solskjaer’s time at United with a hint of regret, seeing how the team has shown the same problems under Erik ten Hag as Ole and all the other managers before him. Bayern fans, if you do decide to part with Tuchel prematurely, you will probably not get a better interim solution to your ailments as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. So to quote Rio Ferdinand “Put the contract in front of him, let him write whatever numbers he wants. Ole’s at the Wheel!”