Man United not aiming to end Liverpool’s Champions League hopes – Solskjaer

MANCHESTER United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has rejected suggestions that one of his major aims on Sunday would be to stop Liverpool from qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

The bitter rivals clash in a Premier League fixture at Old Trafford on Sunday with Liverpool sixth in the table four points adrift of fourth place and needing the points to keep up their chase for a Champions League spot.

United, on the other hand, are relatively comfortable in second place, 12 points clear of fifth.

When asked during Friday’s pre-match press conference if it would be a bonus for United to deny Liverpool Champions League football, Solskjaer said that he was only concerned about his own team.

“We don’t go out there, we are just thinking about winning ourselves,” the Norwegian said. “Whatever that does to Liverpool can’t be of our concern. Throughout the season you have games you look forward to and this Liverpool game at home is one of the biggest of the season. It doesn’t matter if we are first or second, third or fourth no matter what this is a massive, massive game.

“Of course, we know what they have done the last three or four seasons. They have been at the top of the league, won the Champions League and they have had some amazing seasons. That is a challenge to us to have that consistency now that we move up the table and we also challenge [Manchester] City and they feel they still have to win a few games.”

United fans are planning a big protest against the club’s owners on the day of the match in the wake of the failed attempt to join the breakaway European Super League.
Solskjaer insisted that the protests will not adversely affect his players.

He said: “The players are focused on the game and nothing else. They have handled difficult situations before. Of course, it was a strange week before the Leeds game after the Super League announcement, but I have got to say that I am not worried for one second that our mind is not on the football when it happens. I think you saw here (during the 6-2 win over Roma) that the players are fully, fully focused on performing.”

The former United striker praised his players for Thursday night’s 6-2 win over Roma in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-finals, but he wants them to keep up the level against Liverpool.
“I think the whole team took responsibility, of course, Bruno [Fernandes] was part of that as well,” Solskjaer noted.

“We picked an experienced team to handle setbacks, to be able to handle setbacks. It was a big plus for me the way Bruno, Paul [Pogba], Edinson [Cavani], Marcus [Rashford], even at his young age, the runs he made in the second half he might not get the credit for it, but his movement was excellent. “Against Liverpool we need experience, we need quality, we need to defend well, we need every aspect of the game because we know the quality they have got and they can hit that quality against us easily.”

When asked about Liverpool’s sharp decline from last season’s runaway champions to a side struggling to finish in the top four this season, Solskjaer refused to be drawn into analysing his opponents.

“I think we all, before this season, had worries how this season is going to go for the players. They have had bad injuries this season,” he said.

“This season has been more different to any other season in modern football. So I am just focused on ourselves. I cannot say anything about Liverpool’s season. I have not really watched them too closely and followed them because I have got my own club and problems and challenges.”

United are favourites to reach their first major final (Europa League) under Solskjaer and are almost certain to earn a Champions League spot via their Premier League placing. However, Solskjaer says he is not at the point where he is thinking of resting key stars and giving fringe players time on the pitch.

“We’ve just got to focus on one game at a time,” he offered. “Of course, if we manage some good results in the next few league games there will be minutes for more players that deserve to play more. I have got quite a few who haven’t played enough, but we have to make sure we do the right things. We have got Liverpool, which is difficult enough as it is, then we have got Villa, then we have got Leicester, Fulham and Wolverhampton and we still need to get to the final, so I will take it as it comes. It is hard to plan too far ahead.

“One, you fight to win the Premier League; that is the bread and butter. That is the dream, that is what everyone wants, but there’s almost like another trophy: second, third or fourth, because the Champions League is such a massive tournament to be in. You play against the best, there are loads of financial gains by being there. Last season, when we were so far behind, our aim was to get in the top four. Sometimes top four is not even secure. Arsenal and Chelsea could still win their respective tournaments and not be top four, so we have just got to make sure that we are doing our job and getting into the Champions League ourselves.”