This archive report was first published on 20 October 2019.
Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking to spark a turnaround in his team's fortunes with a surprise victory over Liverpool on Sunday.
With United struggling in the bottom half of the table, Solskjaer is keen to remind Liverpool of their 30-year wait to be crowned champions, a dig at the Reds' long wait since their last title in 1990.
"I am sure we will bounce back and win the league," Solskjaer said. "I am sure it will not be 30 years until our next Premier League."
Said with a twinkle in his eye at his pre-match press conference on Friday, it was a clear reference to Liverpool's long wait to be crowned champions of England again, stretching back to 1990, compared with six years since the last time United were victorious, under Alex Ferguson in 2013. United are in dire need of a win, having only nine points from their first eight matches, short of goals and confidence. But Solskjaer believes that a surprise victory over a team with a 100 percent record this season would be the ideal response. "A win can definitely turn a season," he said. "A good performance and result for us here can change players' confidence, players' mood, their perception of what is good." "Maybe they have not really believed they are good enough at times. With a lack of confidence, you think twice instead of acting on instinct. But I know these players are good enough. I have no worries about that." With Liverpool's 100 percent record this season, Solskjaer knows that his team will have to be at their best to cause an upset. "Harry has already shown how good he is," Solskjaer said. "But in big games you get more pressure at Man United and Liverpool." "At big clubs and in big games, it is about the ones who can step up." With the world's costliest defender, Harry Maguire, at the helm, Solskjaer is confident that his team can rise to the challenge.
