What a bizarre week for Manchester United. It appeared Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s days were over but now the Norwegian will be given yet another chance at redemption.
Not many managers in world football would get another shot after being dismantled 5-0 to their bitter rivals. Make of that what you will.
Although Solskjaer ’s job appears to be safe for now, that still hasn’t stopped a large part of United’s fan base from admiring the idea of having Antonio Conte in charge at Old Trafford. The man is a proven winner and has tasted success everywhere he’s gone, so how would he fare if he was appointed as United boss?
In MEN ’s latest Facebook Live, United on my Mind writer Omar Garrick was accompanied by the chief correspondent of Football Italia; Richard Hall. The pair had an in-depth conversation on how exactly Conte would do at one of the biggest clubs in world football.
RH : “This is about getting the club back to being champions. Don’t expect much in Europe. He goes crazy in press conferences when people ask him about his poor European record. Those tactics are limited. He has one style of play and got criticized for not having a plan B, but he still won.
“I think he can take you a level up, but will he take United to the level they want to be? I don’t think so.
“He would definitely propel United to the next level because he won’t interfere with the club’s ethos and doesn’t try to make it all about him as Mourinho does for instance. He got all of that poor mentality out of Inter and instilled a bit of that Juventus mentality of winning at all costs. He would do that at United as well.
“That, for me, is key because that’s the first point of trophies. Yes, clubs have identities but with United and a lot of clubs- identities have to change. He would put a lot of professionalism into the club and have players you’re probably sick of, working at a level you wouldn’t think they were capable of.
“Either that or they’d be gone. But at least when you’re going to Old Trafford you’d have a group of players that would play for the fans, the shirt, and mostly for Conte.
“I would say, however, you look at Juventus, after he won three doubles in a row, they got rid of him because of arguments about finances and his record in Europe.”
OG : “A lot of people have discussed if Conte did come in there would be a formation switch. At Chelsea, it was Victor Moses who shined as a wing-back.
But a lot’s been made about Romelu Lukaku’s transformation under Conte at Inter. He scored 24 Serie A goals under Conte and looked like a different player.”
RH : “Even Alexis Sanchez, Matteo Darmian and Ashley Young were all superb when they came into Conte’s system. They all knew their job. That’s the one thing under Conte you know. The structure he would give you is invaluable.
“Yeah he won’t be a long-term fix and there would be an argument about money or European record but when he leaves the club he’ll leave it in a better place."
How do you think Antonio Conte would do at United? Follow our United on my mind trends writer Anil Kandola and Football Italia correspondent Rich Hall a nd let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
