Former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has accused Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of playing the same anti-football as Jose Mourinho.
The outspoken Dutchman, who has never forgiven United for the way they dumped him just 24 hours after winning the FA Cup Final in 2016, reckons the former Old Trafford striker has been parking the bus since succeeding Mourinho in December.
Van Gaal, who also laid into Solskjaer in a similar vein last month, did praise the Norwegian for lifting the gloom that had descended on the club in the first half of the season. But he has urged him to change the playing style of the team – or risk becoming the latest United manager to fail.
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“I can see how Ole had some impact in the beginning, because United were ninth in the table when he took over and the team was nothing," said LVG. “United had been playing anti-football, as I call it, but don’t think that Ole isn’t afraid to park the bus either — he is more defensive than you think.
“I have been watching the team, because I always look at United still, and Ole parked the bus against Arsenal. He did it against Tottenham in the league. And at stages against Paris St aint-Germain and Barcelona in the Champions League.
“He plays against all the big teams like that. The emphasis is more on defending than on attacking or wanting to play dominant football. I actually call it parking the bus. Ole does it not just outside the 18-yard box. He parks the bus right in front of [goalkeeper] David De Gea.”
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Van Gaal added: “When United play that way, they play 4-4-2 and play counter attacking football with Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku. They are gambling on the speed of those two because they are faster than their opponents when they get the space. Rashford’s pace is incredible. You don’t catch him when he breaks away.
“But if Man United want to be a dominant force in Europe again - and in England - they have to have a different playing style.
“The problem as a foreign manager is that you find out that the English football culture is different from Germany and Spain. In those countries, you work on things in training. In England, everything is done by playing matches. They get fitter or gain stamina by playing lots of matches.
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"It is a culture you cannot change easily. I wanted to change things, but it proved very difficult.”
Solskjaer was rewarded for a run which lifted United into the top four of the Premier League and the quarter-finals of the Champions League by being handed a three-year contract last month. But United have gone out of Europe and the FA Cup while losing five of their last seven games.
They go into the last four matches of the Premier League season down in sixth place.
Van Gaal, speaking on Dutch sports channel Ziggo, said: “What Ole did when he came in was get the atmosphere back. He improved the atmosphere in the squad when he took over.
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“Ole revived the squad and he won a lot of matches when he first started. They went up to third in the Premier League, but they have dropped back to sixth.
“But when I look at the style of football, I have to say he has not changed it. It is explainable. Defending is easier than attacking. I saw so many games of United over the last year or so. Both Mourinho and Solskjaer are not afraid to play in a defensive way all the time. That is not good enough for Man United.
“Now it is the time where trophies can be won and they are not even in a position where they can claim a Champions League spot.”
