How Solskjaer Has Changed The Course Of Games Using Substitutions

By Naveen Kelvin | April 13, 2021
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United's Mason Greenwood celebrate.

REUTERS/Phil Noble

Ole Gunnar Solskjær has always been renowned for his super substitute ethos. The immortal night at the Camp Nou will forever herald the Norwegian’s late cameo impact that changed the course of the entire final.

While Sir Alex Ferguson championed that ethos, dubbed as ‘Fergie time’, Solskjær has now co-opted the same under his managerial tenure at the Theatre of Dreams.

It may appear that the baby-faced assassin is only comparatively making great strides with regard to substitutes.

The most recent instance of the same came during the effective 3-1 drubbing of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. In that game, it was Mason Greenwood’s introduction that made the change, with the teenager both scoring and assisting the crucial post-equalizer goals.

However, a cursory look at some of his more vital game-changing moments this campaign, speaks volumes about the raw impact he has had in changing matches.

This is precisely what Twitter user @UTDSamu has gone about doing in a thread of Solskjær’s impact substitutes.

 

Of the substitutions made, it was Paul Pogba and Greenwood who appeared to be the most impactful, constantly scoring and assisting off the bench.

Marcus Rashford’s hattrick impact in the Champions League is certainly the most memorable substitution of the lot. Alongside Bruno Fernandes, the rare instances when Solskjær has relied on the English forward, he has delivered with raw impact.

Such a trend is very promising and speaks volumes about the electric and dynamic atmosphere that Solskjær is aiming to curate with United.

Then again, to be fully impactful, such moments should happen more often and at the same time, the lineup has to do a better job to not get into compromising positions in the first place.