Football Extras: United new boss wants players to enjoy their football

Manchester United's caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said, on Thursday, that he wanted to 'get the players enjoying their football' after he returned to Old Trafford following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

United have turned to their former Norway international striker Solskjaer on a deal until the end of the season to inject some life into what has been a fraught campaign.

The club parted company with Mourinho, on Tuesday, with the club in sixth spot in the Premier League having made their worst start to a season for 28 years, culminating in a limp 3-1 loss to bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

Mourinho's final few months in charge were dominated by media reports of his falling out with the club's 90 million pounds ($114 million) France midfielder Paul Pogba while his side laboured on the pitch playing dull defensive football.

Solskjaer, who as a player was part of United's era of dominance under Alex Ferguson and scored the goal that secured an unprecedented treble almost 20 years ago, wants to return a feel-good factor to their under-performing squad.

"I am just going to be myself... get the players enjoying their football and looking forward to seeing the supporters again," Solskjaer, 45, told MUTV on Thursday in his first interview as caretaker boss.

"We are in a results business and we want to win games and that is my job. We just want to see them play the football they can."

Solskjaer, who has left his role as manager of Norwegian club Molde, said the busy upcoming schedule of matches would give all of his squad a chance to impress him.

Their game on Saturday at Cardiff City, where Solskjaer was briefly manager in 2014, begins a run of five in 15 days.

“The amount of games coming up is no problem because we’ve got an amazing squad, we’ve got 23-24 players,” Solskjaer said.

“They are all quality and they’ll all get a chance now with the amount of games coming up. They’ve got a chance to show they are Man United players.”

Solskjaer's place in United's folklore means he is likely to receive a rapturous welcome when they play their next home match against Huddersfield Town on Dec. 26.

The Norwegian, who was the hero on one of the club's most famous nights when got the winner in stoppage time as United completed a 2-1 comeback triumph over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final, said he would relish his time in charge.

"As a player I gave everything I have and now walking out and leading this team and being part of this team. Playing for pride, history, it will be very special."

Chelsea's Sarri says Premier League will miss Mourinho

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri said the Premier League will miss sacked Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho and hopes that the Portuguese can return to management in England again.

United dismissed Mourinho on Tuesday after suffering their worst start to a league season for 28 years and replaced him with former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer until the end of the current campaign.

Asked ahead of Saturday's home league clash with Leicester City if the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss would be missed, Sarri said: "I think so. Mourinho won everything, won everywhere so I like him very much as a coach and as a man."

Mourinho said a day after his sacking that United had a future without him, just as he did without them, and Sarri backed the 55-year-old to make a swift return to the dugout.

"I think he's right when he said that United have a future without Mourinho, but he has a great future without them. I'd like to see him on the bench as soon as possible. Maybe in England... not here."

Sarri said Solskjaer could expect a tough job as he attempts to steady the ship at United and get the team firing on all cylinders again.

"I remember him as a player. He was a good player. But I don't know him as a coach. Of course, the job will be difficult," Sarri added.

Former Napoli boss Sarri has enjoyed an encouraging start to his first season as Chelsea manager despite enduring a few bumps along the way.

Chelsea sit fourth in the table with 37 points from 17 games but Sarri ruled them out as title contenders along with leaders Liverpool and second-placed Manchester City.

"I've never seen Chelsea like a contender for the title. I always said that at the moment there are two teams a step ahead of us."

World Cup winners France organised yet unexciting, says Xavi

Former Spain and Barcelona midfielder Xavi has said France's World Cup triumph this year left him feeling "unenthusiastic" due to their style of play.

Didier Deschamps' side, containing the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba, beat Croatia 4-2 in an action-packed final in Moscow after beating Argentina 4-3 in the tournament's stand-out game in the last 16.

They also saw off Uruguay and Belgium on their way to the final.

Yet their performances left Xavi, one of the heroes of Spain's 2010 World Cup win and a four-times Champions League winner with Barca, unimpressed.

"All France say to me is that they are the champions," Xavi said in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca published on Friday.

"They are an organised team, not very exciting, but they have a lot of qualities. They work hard, they counterattack like rockets, you have Griezmann and Mbappe running back to defend. That's fine, but it doesn't make me feel enthusiastic."

Xavi, who is seeing out his career in Qatar with Al Sadd and has said repeatedly he intends to become a coach when he retires from playing, also criticised the short-term attitudes of coaches at World Cups.

"In a World Cup coaches are more practical because they are scared of being knocked out. You make one error, and 'ciao'," he added.

"I'm of a different school of thought, believing you should always try to have the ball and take risks but 70-80 percent of teams in a World Cup don't take risks and they wait for a chance to score. It's a shame. The result is what justifies the means and convinces fans, but it doesn't convince me."