Richards blasts Solskjaer over Man Utd ‘cop out’ in Istanbul
Micah Richards claims Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was making “excuses” before they lost 2-1 to Istanbul Basaksehir on Wednesday night.
The Red Devils’ Premier League problems were compounded by a shock Champions League loss to the Turkish side.
With the stuttering Red Devils sat 15th in the Premier League, their impressive return to European football’s top table has provided much-needed positivity.
MAILBOX: Solskjaer must go after Man Utd’s latest nadir…
Man Utd followed the deserved 2-1 victory at last season’s Champions League finalists Paris St Germain by stunning RB Leipzig 5-0, but it does not take long for pressure to ratchet up at Old Trafford.
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Speaking after the match, Richards thought Solskjaer was getting his excuses in early before their latest loss in Istanbul, which came days after a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.
“That was a cop out that game,” Richards told CBS Sports . “I like Solskjaer and I’ve protected him, I believed he was the right man for Man Utd, but to say to go to Istanbul and it’s a hard place to go – but there’s no fans in the stadium, 350 fans.
“We talk about Man Utd, we keep saying they’re a massive club – which they are – but they shouldn’t be going to Istanbul with fear.
“That’s excuses for me.”
And following the match Solskjaer refused to defend his side’s display, he said: “The performance wasn’t good enough.
“The first goal, we played a short corner and forgot about the man up top – that’s unforgivable.
“The second one, we weren’t very well organised to counter press and win the ball back when we were defending.
“It has set us back a lot, of course it has. You get a reality check every time you play a football game. You don’t just turn up and get three points in the Champions League.
“It’s not easy to be positive when we’ve lost the way we did. But we have a chance to get going again on Saturday.”