Chapter 759 League or Europa League? Choose 2 from 1
In Solskjaer's office, Phelan and Carrick were silent.
Solskjaer looked out the window. It was already dark.
The day's training had just ended and the players had all left the training ground.
And he also asked the coaching staff and medical staff to go home and rest early.
I have been really tired recently.
The team is fighting on multiple fronts and is under great pressure.
Moreover, frequent injuries have made Solskjaer's hair turn gray.
Now he called two assistant coaches into the office and closed the door, just to talk about the future.
The question just now made the two assistant coaches don't know what to say.
"I weighed the team's status and thought that now we don't have the ability to fight on both fronts, so we have to sacrifice one to keep the other. League or Europa League? Choose one. I want to hear your opinions."
Felan and Carrick looked at each other, still saying nothing.
At this time, the two of them thought of the same question Mourinho had asked a few seasons ago.
Carrick, as the team's vice-captain at the time, also participated in the discussion.
"We do not have the ability to fight on multiple fronts, so we must give up appropriately. I plan to strive for the league and the Champions League and give up the domestic cup competition. What do you think?"
Mourinho's words still seem to ring in my ears.
But in just two seasons, everything changed.
What the team gave up was not domestic cup competitions, but very important league or European competitions.
And even if we fight hard, we will only win the Europa League, not the Champions League.
And to take a step back, even if you want to strive for the same, you may not be able to get it.
When they thought of this, the two of them felt a little disappointed.
When will Manchester United regain its glory...
Solskjaer wasn't thinking about emotions, he was thinking about the game.
He sat on the chair opposite the two, looked at the two assistant coaches, and spoke seriously.
“Actually, I feel sorry for asking this question.
“Because I am the head coach of the team, I should go all out to help the team win all the wins and championships it can.
“But now, I know I can’t do it.
“The team has been plagued by injuries and we haven’t had many additions in two consecutive transfer windows.
“There are even several times more players leaving than joining.
“How can the team survive this?
“So we have to make a choice.
"To compete for the league title or the Europa League, you can only choose one or the other.
"Of course, it doesn't mean that we will give up on the other front.
"This is just an allocation of energy, not absolute giving up.
"I have to speak clearly.
"Since you don't express your opinion, then I will express my opinion.
"I would rather fight for the Europa League.
"First of all, our Europa League opponents are weaker.
“Even the strongest Inter Milan, Roma, and Sevilla, we can’t all meet them.
"And no matter how strong they are, they can't compare with our league opponents.
"You have to know that now Liverpool and Manchester City are the favorite teams to compete for the Champions League.
“So it’s more certain to win the Europa League.
“The second is the question of possibility.
"Now we are five points behind Liverpool.
"Manchester City surpassed us because of their goal difference.
"Chelsea and Leicester City behind us are also watching.
“There is a saying that has been circulating in the Premier League – it is much harder to win the Premier League than to win the Champions League!
"That makes sense.
“So, I think considering all aspects, we should still compete for the Europa League title.
"What do you think?"
Now that the head coach has made up his mind, Phelan and Carrick don't have any ideas. In the end, the proposition of choosing one of the two was decided in one shot.
This topic was only known to three people, and Solskjaer did not tell anyone.
Because even if they choose one of the two, the team must work hard to play in the league.
Whether they can compete for the championship is a matter of time, but if they lose the top four positions, it will be even more troublesome.
So you can't say such discouraging words.
But as if there is some kind of mysterious power, since the three of them talked about this topic, Manchester United's league results have plummeted.
In the next four consecutive games, Manchester United had two draws and two losses, completely losing the possibility of competing for the championship.
Their league ranking fell from third to fifth.
Although they had one game less, the fact that they were overtaken by Leicester City made the club very dissatisfied.
After Manchester United was held to an away draw by Tottenham, the club management interviewed Solskjaer late at night.
On this night, the possibility of dismissal was even raised if the team failed to reach the top four at the end of the season.
Solskjaer is worried.
In fact, for him, this choice has some personal subjective thoughts.
He really hopes to bring a championship trophy to Manchester United.
And the Europa League title is great.
Now that the team is in trouble, he must do something.
In the next two Premier League games, Manchester United won two consecutive games.
Won Sheffield United 3-0 and Brighton 3-0.
These two games have allowed Manchester United to return to the top four, five points ahead of Leicester City, and even tied with Chelsea in third place.
This gave Solskjaer some relief.
But we can't take it lightly next time. After all, Leicester City and Tottenham behind us are not far away from us, and we can't completely guarantee the top four positions in the league.
Having temporarily stabilized the top four, Solskjaer still has to focus more on the Europa League.
On the European stage, Manchester United is much smoother than at home.
In the Europa League quarter-finals, Manchester United faced Linz.
This Austrian team does not have any big-name stars, and its overall strength cannot be compared with Manchester United.
This Manchester United team, even young people like Rashford and McTominay, have experience in European competitions and are much better than their opponents.
In the first round away from home, Manchester United won 5-0 and completely defeated their opponent.
With the lineup rotating, Manchester United blossomed more in this game.
Center Ighalo, James, Mata and B Fee behind him, four players each scored a goal.
At the last moment, McTominay also assisted and hit a long shot, helping the team completely fix the score at 5-0.
Although Xia Xing did not score in this game, he assisted 4 times and is still the brightest star of the team.
In the second round, Solskjaer sent out many young players and eventually won easily 2-1.
Xia Xing was not even included in the squad for this game, which shows how confident Manchester United is.
B Fei partnered with Pogba and made his debut.
The two passed shots and made achievements to each other.
Since being beaten, Pogba has rarely made any mistakes in the team.
And he works harder on the court than before.
After all, only good performance can attract the attention of more wealthy families.
Has he become enlightened?
Probably not.
Xia Xing is very clear.
I guess this guy is probably looking for a way out for himself next... (End of chapter)
