Ole’s press conference to preview United v Blades

How much are you looking forward to walking out at Old Trafford again?
“We love walking out at Old Trafford. Of course, walking out in front of our fans is an exceptional experience. Now it’s a different experience but we have the urge to get back to playing, winning games, of course, for our fans that are watching on telly. We’ll go out there and put our best performance on hopefully.”

That first game against Sheffield United, the 3-3 draw, it was a difficult first 70 minutes of that game. How much has that side progressed since then?
“I feel we are developing all the time. We played against a very difficult opponent, in a difficult stadium. The fans were helping, I think if you look at the first goal that would be a foul if you don’t have the fans on to the referee. Anyway, they played exceptionally well that night. We had a 15/20 minute spell that we were exhilarating as well. That’s when we showed what we are capable of. We’re getting more and more consistent and hopefully we can get that consistency and more penetration, forward passes, runs in behind and hopefully, we can see that tomorrow night.”

Hi Ole. Is there anything easier about playing behind closed doors, in terms of getting your instructions across? Have your players said it might be easier in some respects?
“I’m not sure easier is the right word. It’s a different way of playing, of course. It’s a different mental challenge for the players. It might make some players feel more at ease and relaxed a bit more. Some thrive off the enthusiasm and the passion of the fans and get that extra energy out of it. But for coaches, we get the messages across, but the opponent coach can listen. It’s certainly a very different way. It might be, if you’re at home and you’re struggling, you get the home fans on your back. You struggle with that. Now you can relax a bit more. For us, we will miss our fans because until this day I’ve not heard fans in the world being so supportive of their team and seeing their team, spurring them on. For me, it’s more difficult for us to play at Old Trafford with no fans than with fans because they’re so passionate and want us to do well.”

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