Not many people fancied Manchester United to be fighting for trophies on all fronts at the beginning of this season. However, a resurgence in league form has risen the Red Devils to the Premier League summit, whilst they remain in the FA Cup, European competition and vie for a place in the League Cup final tomorrow evening.
To reach the final, United will have to overcome rivals, Man City. The Cityzens are in superb form after swatting aside Frank Lampard’s Chelsea just a few days ago. Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden were in majestic form so Ole will need to come up with a plan to keep those two stars quiet.
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In a report by the Irish Times, Solskjaer said: “Winning the Carabao Cup would be a very, very big step” for his Manchester United team.
United lost to Pep Guardiola’s men in the final four of the competition last season, before going onto lose in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and Europa League. This season they are in the hunt for all trophies at this stage and will be targeting a clean sweep, against all the odds.
Solskjaer said: “The next game is always important but of course a semi-final is a chance to get to the final, to get your hands on a trophy in the next round and for this team it would be a very, very big step getting your hands on a trophy.
“We’ve developed a lot in the last six months to 12 months since the last semi in the Carabao Cup so of course it’s not just learning to win semis. We’ve also earned the right to feel we can go all the way with our performances. We are confident, we are going into the game with good form so there’s no excuses.”
Solskjaer won numerous trophies as a player and wrote himself into Old Trafford folklore with his winning goal in the 1999 European Cup final. However, he is yet to lift a piece of silverware as manager of the club, since he took the role in December 2018.
“Of course, you play football to win,” the United boss said.
“You play football to win trophies, to get your hands on a trophy – even though when you win that trophy you move on to the next one. But it gives you hunger to get more, so of course the squad is focused, we’re ready to give it a go. I think we’ve prepared well for this game.”