Ole’s red alert as he blames shirts for poor home form
Manchester United have found the culprit for their disappointing home form this season – their red shirts clashing with banners at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that United have changed the colour of the banners around the stadium after his players complained they could not see each other properly during games.
Almost 25 years to the day since Alex Ferguson ordered his side to ditch their infamous grey kit at Southampton after claiming his players were having difficulty picking each other out, Solskjaer said the club had taken their own steps to ensure their red shirts do not get lost against the backdrop at Old Trafford.
The empty seats in the lower tiers were covered in red banners earlier this season, but a decision was taken to make sure those for a new anti-racism campaign were black, to help players distinguish each other while supporters remain barred from attending due to the pandemic.
“You’ll see a change now,” Solskjaer said when asked to explain why United’s away form has been much better than their home record ahead of the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Granada at Old Trafford tonight.
“If you see the banners around the club now, it’s not red any more. We’ve looked into this and there shouldn’t be any reason, really. But some of the players have mentioned that split-second decisions where you look over your shoulder to see if your team-mate is there and the red shirt is on a red background with red seats. So we’ve tried to change that, along with the anti-racism campaign – that was important that it wasn’t red any more.”
Gary Neville, the former United captain who was part of the side who lost 3-1 at Southampton on April 13, 1996 and was instructed to switch to blue and white shirts at half-time with them trailing 3-0, reacted to Solskjaer’s admission by tweeting: “This is Ole’s grey shirt moment.”
United are unbeaten in the Premier League away from home this season and have taken 36 points on their travels, nine more than at Old Trafford, where they have lost four games. Solskjaer’s side have also yet to win at home in the Europa League, despite three successive away victories, but will be hoping to change that against Granada tonight as they target a semi-final place against Roma or Ajax.
United hold a 2-0 lead from the first leg but will be without the suspended Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Scott McTominay. Marcus Rashford could also miss the game after sitting out training on Tuesday and yesterday.
“I still think we’ve played some good football at home,” Solskjaer said. “We started off badly with three defeats with (Crystal) Palace, Tottenham and Arsenal very early on, so we’ve improved.”
United’s 3-1 victory at Tottenham on Sunday was the latest example of the team coming from behind to win but, despite praising the spirit, Solskjaer admitted they would have to learn to stop making life so difficult for themselves. “Manchester United have always got humble, hard-working players who stick together and never give in,” he said. “On the other hand, it’s worrying that we have to do that.”
Man United v Granada,
Live, VM2/BT Sport 2, 8.0
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Latest Manchester United
- Eamonn Sweeney Opinion Bittersweet derby victory underlines Man United's failure under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
- Manchester United may stop Bruno Fernandes from playing crucial World Cup qualifiers for Portugal this month
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hails 17-year-old who became Manchester United's youngest-ever player in European competition
- Luke Edwards Opinion Heir to the throne - Fernandes can be new King Eric for United
- WATCH: €20million teenager Amad Diallo dazzles once again for Manchester United
Most Read
- Ole’s red alert as he blames shirts for poor home form
- Marcus Rashford slammed following first-half dive that won Manchester United a penalty
- Aidan O'Hara: 'If Ole's meant to be at the wheel, he shouldn't be asking the players how to drive the bus'
- Romelu Lukaku says leaving Man United 'right decision' and claims Jose Mourinho wasn't backed as manager
- Dean Henderson pushing De Gea all the way to United exit