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LONDON: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has had a lovely life as Manchester United's interim manager, but Barcelona's visit to Old Trafford on Wednesday (10 April) will show him the magnitude of the task he faces as a than new full-time boss.
The Norwegian has been rewarded with a three-year contract after dramatically restoring United's fortunes since taking over the job in December, placing them back in the running to rank in the top four and transforming the team. club atmosphere.
The culmination of his reign so far has been a spectacular 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 games of the Champions League, allowing United to cancel a 2-0 defeat in the first leg and qualify for the quarter-finals. goals.
Solskjaer gave his creative players a license to attack. Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford have left the leash to the devastating effect.
However, some of the brilliance has been lost in recent weeks. Three defeats in four games have seriously tainted United's chances of qualifying for next season's Champions League and overthrowing them of the FA Cup.
Solskjaer, who scored United's winning goal against Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final in Barcelona, was upbeat after coaching the Spanish league leaders in the quarter-finals last month before 39 to be confirmed as a new long-term boss.
"We want these matches against the biggest clubs and the biggest teams, we had the final against them in 2009 and 2011 (both won by Barca) and the semifinal in 2008 when Scholesy (Paul Scholes) scored" said Solskjaer.
"These are the games that our fans and this club are looking for and we are looking forward to seeing this one."
Worrying for Solskjaer, however, some of the familiar failures of United under Jose Mourinho came back to haunt them in the weeks following the draw.
POOR RUN
They had the misfortune to lose to Arsenal, but seemed uninspired by losing twice against the Wolves in the FA Cup and Premier League, while even Solskjaer admitted they did not deserve their lone victory as he had was appointed to a permanent position, with Watford enjoying the best chances in a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer had a free spin when he took over from Mourinho, with low morale and the club at 11 points from the top four.
In spite of his recent hiccups, he has had remarkable success in his short time at the club and ultimately aims to aim higher than to finish in the top four.
"You have to aim high," he told ESPN. "You can not aim too low in this club, you must aim to win titles.
"When I came back here as a manager, I thought a lot about what makes a winning team.What do you really need to win on the biggest stage?" I'm not one to sit, rest you on my laurels. "
The 46-year-old will probably be forgiven if United fails to face a Barcelona inspired by Lionel Messi.
But if it fails to reverse the mini-crisis and United suffers a heavy defeat against the champions of Spain, the season may run out of steam and lose momentum.
Questions will be asked as to whether United was too quick to trust a friendly leader and whether Solskjaer has the profile needed to recruit the top rookies that United needs, especially in the defense, to become serious Premier League players. European. again.
But he will head his team to Old Trafford on Wednesday for his first quarterfinal of the Champions League since 2014 with the same ever-die-die attitude that he had as a player.
"We have a chance, it will be a difficult task, we have a mountain to climb, but we have already climbed some mountains," said Solskjaer.
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