Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals the one player ‘who caused me most problems as a manager’ as he reflects on how his Manchester United spell fell apart
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that during his time as Manchester United boss there was one player that consistently caused him problems.
Solskjaer returned to the club as manager after a storied career as a player at Old Trafford, playing a crucial role in the side that won the Treble in 1999, opening up on how his time at the club fell apart in an Athletic interview.
However, despite his gloried playing days, he was unable to have quite the same impact in the dugout, with his side losing 38 games and drawing 33 more in his 149-game stint at the helm of a side that was largely unsuccessful.
The Norwegian club icon failed to win a single piece of silverware during his time in charge, although his team did reach the final of the Europa League, only losing on penalties to Unai Emery’s Villarreal.
Despite losing records against rivals Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal, he revealed in his first in-depth interview since being sacked in November 2021 that there was one opponent in particular who caused him problems.
‘In my last season, we played Liverpool at home,’ he told The Athletic. ‘I felt the players were ready for it, just like I’d felt they were ready when we’d gone to City and won. We could have sat back and countered but my decision was to go for it.
‘We lost 5-0. It was 50/50, more or less, in possession and chances at half-time, yet we were 4-0 down. I made the wrong decision and that was my lowest point as United manager by a mile.
‘Roberto Firmino was probably the opposition player who caused me the most problems as a manager. The 6-1 defeat at home to Spurs was different and affected by a sending-off.’
Firmino scored twice against Man United in October 2021, however his real talent lay not in scoring goals but his positional awareness and ability to lose markers when linking together midfield and attack.
The game in question came just five games before his departure, and only three before a 2-0 loss to City – both at home.
Liverpool had the number on Solskjaer’s Man United side, losing just once and beating their rivals four times in eight encounters – a period that many Reds fans will likely remember fondly.
Similarly, Man City beat his side five times – the most of any Premier League team – although United did secure revenge four times of their own.
Despite an initial bounce in results, United’s performances largely regressed by the end of Solskjaer’s stewardship.
Although he perhaps struggled against his rivals on the field and was tactically out-thought at times, the Norwegian has since claimed that he was a victim of vying egos in the dressing room – with Cristiano Ronaldo at the heart of the squad in his final season.
‘It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong,’ Solskjaer added. ‘It felt so right when he signed and the fans felt that at that Newcastle game, when Old Trafford was rocking [Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-1 win].
‘When you have a group you need everyone to pull in the same direction. When things didn’t go right, you could see certain players and egos came out.’
Solskjaer was replaced by Ralf Rangnick until the end of the season, before the German was dismissed at the end of his tenure to be replaced by Erik ten Hag, failing to take up his option of a move upstairs to become a consultant.
