After suffering the first defeat in his spell as the caretaker of Manchester United, although it has taken an admirable 12 games for that to happen, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer will be looking to see how his side responds.
Solksjaer will be keen for his players to put the loss firmly behind them and concentrate on the games ahead, fixtures that are every bit as important in gauging how our season pans out, before contemplating the return leg of the Paris Saint-Germain tie in a couple of weeks.
Circumstances have contrived to provide Manchester United with two huge fixtures in their next two games, Chelsea in the FA Cup and then Liverpool in the Premier League.
Speaking to the media after what wasn’t the best of nights at Old Trafford, and as reported by the BBC, Solksjaer remarked:
“We have to learn from that. We have Chelsea and Liverpool next. If people feel sorry for themselves, they won’t play at Chelsea.”
The Chelsea fixture has the potential to be a tough one, every bit as tough as last night.
The West London club have slipped out of the top-four after a run of poor results away from home, culminating in the 6-0 thrashing at Manchester City. But, at home, they are a different proposition and they will be looking to provide the perfect response to the humbling they received at the Etihad Stadium.
Let’s hope Solksjaer can rally the troops and guide Manchester United into the last eight of the FA Cup.
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