Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has commented that it was ‘strange’ for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to make unbecoming comments on Manchester United fans after their last-gasp Champions League win over Atalanta.<\/p>\n
Jamie Carragher believes it was ‘silly’ of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to comment that Manchester United supporters \u2018should never stop believing in these players\u2019 following Wednesday\u2019s Champions League victory after the Red Devils had trailed by two goals at home to the Serie A side after only 28 minutes and were struggling to respond before the break.<\/p>\n
Jeers reverberated around Old Trafford as the players headed for the tunnel at half-time but Solskjaer commented post-match that fans ought to \u2018know better\u2019 than jeering mid-game.<\/p>\n
United miraculously fought back and won the Group F encounter via goals from Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire and an 81st minute strike by Cristiano Ronaldo.<\/p>\n
After the game, Solskjaer said: \u201cSome supporters maybe felt they wanted to wake up the players but I didn’t feel they needed woken up, they needed support.<\/p>\n
“This crowd should never stop believing in these players.<\/p>\n
“You do hear a little bit of grumbling and I’ve been here at this club for 18 years, more or less, and that hasn’t happened often.<\/p>\n
“They know they’re better than that.”<\/p>\n
Carragher, working as a pundit for CBS Sports said: “I thought it was a strange interview.<\/p>\n
“I think the little comment he made about the fans was a silly thing to say. I think the fans I think won them that game in the second half.<\/p>\n
“Manchester United, coming in at half-time 2-0 down to Atalanta and I don’t think they were that poor, Man United, but you’re going to get grumblings, people who are unhappy.<\/p>\n
“It’s not just that game, they’re on a really poor run of games and the performance they had at Leicester as well [United lost 4-2 on Saturday].<\/p>\n
“When that ground is rocking, it is difficult to stop. I have been there as a player and it’s difficult to stop, teams get deeper and deeper.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd those supporters are as important as Cristiano Ronaldo, or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, or the changes he made in the second half.<\/p>\n
“It was a really silly thing to say that the supporters should know better when they played such a huge part in winning them the game,\u201d he added before looking ahead to this weekend\u2019s big match.<\/p>\n
“If Man United beat Liverpool on Sunday, it will again be as much because of the supporters as any player on the pitch.<\/p>\n
“Because, as you know, United haven’t got the players or the team as good as Liverpool, so they’re going to need that support.”<\/p>\n
The former Liverpool centre-back had claimed Manchester United need a better manager to compete for the top prizes, which then escalated into a war of words came when the Red Devils boss hit back at Carragher in his pre-match press conference.<\/p>\n
Carragher said: “He is not at the level as Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel or Pep Guardiola, who have got years of experience and have won major trophies.<\/p>\n
“Ole hasn’t got that. So where he’s got them means he’s done a really good job. But this team is a good team.<\/p>\n
“There is a feeling that if Ole wins a trophy, he should stay in a job.<\/p>\n
“United are only going to win the FA Cup or Europa League – if he won one of them, United will still need to have a better manager.”<\/p>\n
Asked about the comments, Solskjaer was stoic in his response and said: “No, it doesn’t affect me, but of course you’ve seen some of the comments once in a while.”<\/p>\n
“I didn’t know what he was saying now but of course we got Liverpool on Sunday as well, so Jamie’s always looking at all these little things.<\/p>\n
“I’ve got my values, I’ve got my way of managing, and I believe in myself.<\/p>\n
“As long as the club believes in me, I’m pretty sure that Jamie Carragher\u2019s opinion is not going to change that.”<\/p>\n
Liverpool head to Old Trafford to face United on Sunday at 4.30 and sit second in the Premier League table, four points ahead of their Manchester rivals.<\/p>\n
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