Manchester United coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, said the 1-2 defeat to Young Boys was not only due to the poor performance of his players. However, according to Solskjaer, the condition of the grass on the pitch also affects the match.
As is known, the grass on the Wankdorf Stadium field is not real grass, but artificial. In addition, Solskjaer also revealed the reason for replacing Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes before the match ended.
“The game has gone 70 minutes, they both (Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes) ran a lot on Saturday (against Newcastle United),” Solskjaer said, quoted by The Sun, Wednesday (15/9/2021).
“And in this match, artificial turf was very influential, we wanted the experience of Nemanja Matic and Jesse’s feet (Lingard).”
“Cristiano (Ronaldo) is incredible, but we have to keep him and it feels like the right time to let him go,” he added.
In addition, Solskjaer also said that the grass had a role in the red card received by Aaron Wan-Bissaka after violating Christopher Martins. He accepted the referee’s decision even though he had time to question it.
“It was a bit of artificial turf, Aaron (Wan-Bissaka) got a touch too far and he got the ball but he followed it,” said Solskjaer.
“It’s hard to argue with the referee (for the red card) but then he (Wan-Bissaka) didn’t go over his ankle, he hit him on the top of his foot,” he explained.
Meanwhile, this less than optimal result makes Man United in the bottom position in the 2021-2022 Champions League Group F standings. The Red Devils will next host Villarreal at Old Trafford, Thursday 30 September 2021
