Long before Graham Potter, there was Roy Hodgson. Before Hodgson, it was George Raynor, the first Englishman to reach a World Cup final.
Eight years before Alf Ramsey in 1966, Raynor had steered Sweden all the way to the showpiece, facing Brazil, even triumphing over West Germany along the way. In the cases of both Hodgson and Raynor, it was always assumed they had gone Scandinavia a great service by imparting the wisdom of English football.
Yet in the case of Potter, who learned the ropes with Ostersunds before making the great leap to the Premier League, it was the other way round. So rare has it been for a young English manager to coach abroad that long before his impressive work with Brighton & Hove Albion, he had started to pique the interest of observers from his homeland.
In spite of the scoreline, Saturday’s goalless draw with Arsenal was another demonstration of Potter’s prowess and the Seagulls’ flair.
Brighton’s high press, the way centre-backs like Shane Duffy and Dan Burn could be seen playing coolly out from the back, and a compact midfield which completely neutralised Arsenal’s greatest attacking threats and reduced them to lofting desperate long balls into Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – all these traits might be expected in one of the top six.
Once again, it suggested Potter would be a transferrable fit for such a club – and incidentally, his current side ended Saturday in fifth, ahead of Manchester City, Tottenham and their weekend opponents, Arsenal. He reportedly had suitors in the summer, including Spurs – who gave up rather lightly after being told no, and opted for Nuno Espirito Santo.
There was no real clamour for Potter to get the gig. Brighton are entertaining, he has performed well above expectations and yet always seems to be a more established or quirky solution.
Two years ago, in a game of stick or twist, it would have been easier for Brighton to play it safe. Many felt at the time that the sacking of Chris Hughton, who had kept them up, was harsh and unrealistic. The board were convinced it was justified, feeling the club was stagnating. The results were just about acceptable – but the abiding feeling was one that suggested things were never really going to get any better. Which brings us to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Compare how Pascal Gross and Adam Lallana neutralised Martin Odegaard to the ease with which Demarai Gray bullied Fred off the ball before the equaliser from Andros Townsend, whose ‘Siuu’ reverberated around Old Trafford. Cristiano Ronaldo was not amused, marching furiously down the tunnel at full-time. He was unlikely unimpressed by starting a home league game on the bench for United for the first time since 2007, either – even if he is 36.
Predictably, Solskjaer’s odds on becoming the first Premier League manager sacked have been slashed after yet more dropped points at Old Trafford. There was no late Ronaldo salvation this time, and how many times will there be? That is not, at any rate, a dependable strategy.
There are glimpses of glamour which, stemming from the feet of Leandro Trossard, are a delight. From Jadon Sancho, Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Anthony Martial – the list is endless – they are to be expected. The gulf in resources available to Potter and Solskjaer is stark and consequently, so will the gap between their respective sides be – well, probably – by the end of the season.
Perhaps there is little point conjecturing where either would be if the roles were reversed. We have seen Solskjaer in a parallel situation before – in charge of Cardiff, who were relegated. When he left the Bluebirds the following season, they were struggling in the Championship.
But for Potter, the reality is that a real-life version of The Change-Up will never happen. As much as United are inclined to lurch from one extreme to the other, there is always a mitigating factor. Moyes had the Fergie factor – he had been hand-picked by Sir Alex. There was Jose Mourinho’s profile, Louis van Gaal’s record. Solskjaer is the fan favourite. Potter is simply a very good manager and in what world will that ever be enough?
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3D8BnYQ
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