Ole Gunnar Solskjær: Man United icon’s incredible Besitkas impact

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78% win record 

©TM/IMAGO

Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s appointment at Besiktas unequivocally split opinion in Türkiye but the Norwegian has silenced his critics with a fantastic start to his tenure. Solskjær inherited a club in crisis with club chiefs failing to pay their players for several weeks earlier in the season before the derby win over Fenerbahce in December.

Off-field issues were a major factor in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s downfall with Besiktas deciding to sack their eighth manager since 2020. Solskjær had rejected numerous approaches since leaving Manchester United in 2021 and spent several years working as a UEFA Technical Observer. The Turkish giants’ decision to appoint Solskjær raised eyebrows but the 53-year-old has transformed Besitkas’ fortunes with European qualification now a realistic ambition.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s impact at Besiktas

Besitkas’ 2-0 triumph over Kayserispor in the Süper Lig was their sixth consecutive win in all competition and moved them just three points behind third-placed Samsunspor in the Europa League qualification place. Besitkas were languishing in sixth place when Solskjær took charge but he’s been the catalyst behind a marked improvement in performances.

As the graphic above illustrates, Solskjær’s record in his opening nine games is significantly better than Besitkas’ across the rest of the 2024/25 campaign – under Van Bronckhorst and caretaker Serdar Topraktepe (who took charge of nine games). The former Man United manager has won seven of his nine games, losing just once with a win percentage of 77.8% – compared to 44.9% under his two predecessors. Besiktas are scoring more goals and conceding fewer under Solskjær and his points per game record of 2.44 is the best in the club’s history since Andras Kuttik in the 1950s.

Turkish expert on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s impact at Besiktas

Solskjær has already established a strong relationship with the Besitkas fans as Lara Karacan, Transfermarkt’s Süper Lig expert, explains: “Solskjaer has implemented a fast, attacking style of play and revitalized the team after multiple managerial changes, as demonstrated in the 4-1 Europa League win over Athletic Bilbao. He has tackled issues like the lack of a scouting department and strengthened analysis by bringing in experts like Tom Green. Additionally, the club’s owners are now paying their players’ salaries, which was not always the case under Van Bronckhorst —an indirect but positive effect for Solskjær.”

Since Solskjær took charge ahead of matchday 21 in the Super Lig, Besitkas boast the third best record in Türkiye with 13 points from 15 available, behind Fenerbache and Galatasaray, and they could match Jose Mourinho’s men’s 16 points as they’ve played one game fewer. “In Turkey, a coach is seen positively if they are successful, and negatively if not,” Karacan added. “Solskjær quickly made the right changes to get Beşiktaş back to winning. Solskjær is a Manchester United legend and a top manager by Süper Lig standards. While he acknowledges the gap to league leaders Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, his blend of realism and ambition has won over many skeptics.”