giovedì 2 gennaio 2014

Cardiff City appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer



Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s stock as a young manager is rising. The former Manchester United striker lead Molde to successive top flight championships. He made no secret of his desire to lead a Premier League team. The moment is here as Solskjaer has taken over as manager of Cardiff City after a whirlwind day of negotiations with the club's owner, Vincent Tan. Solskjaer overcame all the reservations he had about taking the job after Tan's numerous disputes with former manager Malky Mackay over recent months. Tan and Cardiff chairman, Mehmet Dalman promised him to have £25m to spend in the January transfer window and reassured next manager about how the club will be structured so far. It was enough to convince the Norwegian to join the newly-promoted club. The manner in which Malay tycoon is running his club is shocking. But, despite all the turmoil they experienced, including the unpopular Tan's decision decision to sack Mackay, Cardiff is still an attractive job. They had the financial power in terms of fees and wages to compete for big-name players. Solskjaer recently turned down the chances to become the Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion manager but he couldn't bypass Cardiff's proposal. He has been courted convincingly by Tan. Solskjaer built his reputation at Molde, where he has won two league titles and one cup in three seasons. In Norway, Solskjaer has developed a fast counter-attacking side in which full-backs are encouraged to venture forward. He switched his side from its usual 4-3-3 into a more defensively version of 4-2-3-1 featuring width from the full-backs and wingers and with an attacking midfielder just  behind the centre forward, a new in a Norwegian league featuring sides that favor a more classic 4-4-2. The first thing Solskjaer will have to do on the pitch will be find a way to score as only Crystal Palace have scored fewer than the goals Cardiff have managed. In an interview with the Norwegian magazine Josimar in 2012, Solskjaer revealed his tactical views: he went coaching at Molde "a bit on the United way of playing. So it's a kind of 4-4-2, but with a striker up front and one player who drops behind the striker. A winger that runs up and down all the time, which Giggsy did, and one that goes a little bit more in and out, as Becks did."  Playing under Sir Alex Ferguson for 10 years at United helped. ‘That manager was always in me. I was at a stage when I wrote what we did in every single training session and then there was a period in my career when I wrote a mental diary as well,’ he said. The Scot influenced Solskjaer on and off field: since he took the reign a Molde, he changed the philosophy of the whole club, obliging the players to stay adherent to a stricter routine and diet. He was in charge of everything in the room -- a pivotal role helping Solskjaer to create this environment was played by his backroom staff which includes former United coaches Mark Dempsey and Richard Hartis. Now Solskjaer wants to prove that is possible to work under Tan. 

Nessun commento:

Posta un commento