Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he wasn’t surprised by the criticism he faced following the club’s Champions League defeat against Young Boys, adding that results often dictate how his managerial approach is perceived.
United sits on top of the Premier League, but suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against the Swiss side in their group opener on Tuesday, with Solskjaer criticized for poor game management after right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka saw red in the first half.
“We tend to get judged by outcomes rather than intentions, but we go in with good intentions,” he said in a meeting with reporters ahead of his side’s clash against West Ham United on Sunday. “The outcome decides the headlines … rarely is the game fantastic or bad, it is somewhere in between.
“We know the expectations are high and we expect more of ourselves as well, the performance wasn’t up to our standard.”
The Norwegian, however, said that the players reacted well to the loss in Switzerland and he expected United, like “all good teams,” to bounce back.
The former striker swatted away questions about his style of play, saying he did not swear by an “overarching philosophy.”
“I don’t sit here and claim and talk … football is a simple game and it’s about making good decisions and being in a team,” he said. “Sometimes we look too much into the all intricacies and it’s passion, it’s desire … you can talk about all sorts, it looks nice on paper.”
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