Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – the next Roberto Di Mateo?

Roberto Di Mateo. Remember him. Assistant to Andre Villas-Boas when the latter was appointed as manager of Chelsea in 2011. Villas-Boas, you will recall, lasted barely nine months before being sacked in the March of 2012 for a thoroughly lackluster tenure defined by over prescriptive tactics. In the aftermath of his dismissal his post was filled by the man who had sat alongside him in the dugout – Roberto Di Mateo.

And what happened under the new interim manager? In the three months that remained of the season, Di Mateo engineered the most remarkable turnaround. On the 5th May Chelsea won the FA Cup by beating Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley. A couple of weeks later his Chelsea side defeated Bayern Munich - on their own ground - in the Champions League Final to claim their first European crown. With the Stamford Bridge faithful now clamouring for his permanent appointment, on the 13th June Di Mateo was duly named Chelsea’s full time manager signing a two year contract.

Under his guidance Chelsea started the new premier league season well with three straight wins. However, getting the best out of striker Fernando Torres proved an insolvable problem and by late October things were starting to turn sour. Defeat to title rivals Manchester United was followed in November by draws against Liverpool and Swansea. A further defeat to Juventus in the Champions league meant that Chelsea were relying on others to see them through to the next round. But it was the defeat against West Bromwich Albion that really stuck in the craw (as it would do). So it was that at 5am on the 21st November 2012 Roberto Di Mateo was released from his contract – barely nine months after his appointment.

Managing a football club as an interim manager is a different ball game to having to do it when you are the real deal. It’s like playing in a Stableford as compared to a medal. The pressure is off. There is nothing to lose. “Just go out and enjoy yourselves lads”.

This is the environment in which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s currently finds himself, his task having been enhanced by following on from Oliver Cromwell - the fun averse “Special One”. Joy was not something that came easily to Jose Mourinho his side playing with all the enjoyment of a platoon of Roundheads. Turning them into Cavaliers has been Solskjaer’s easiest challenge.

United have prevailed again tonight albeit against a resilience lite Arsenal. Good luck to them. They’ll probably win the FA Cup. They may even win the Champions League. But it’s winning the premier league that matters. And that, folks, is an entirely different challenge.

©Mark Brennand