Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Says Titles More Important Than Securing Top-4 Finish

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said finishing inside the top four in the Premier League isn't enough of a target for his team; winning titles should come before UEFA Champions League qualification. 

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino, who has been tipped as a future boss of United, recently made comments to the contrary, per the Daily Mail's Chris Wheeler. Solskjaer spoke to the media on Monday and suggested finishing in the top four won't be the chief priority:

"That's not the dream, to be top four. We're Manchester United, you should always aim to win the league.

"We can't do it this year, but we've just got to look forward to that again because we have to get back to that.

"We've got the Champions League and we've got the FA Cup—we can't just say top four and that's it. We've got to look at, 'Can we win something this year?'

"I go into every single game as United manager thinking we can win this game. We are still in the FA Cup, and we are going to try to win it."

BBC Sport's Shamoon Hafez referred to recent comments made by Pochettino in justifying how a top-four finish could still mark a successful season:

Tottenham fell out of the FA Cup on Sunday after suffering a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, but they sit third in the Premier League and face Borussia Dortmund in the last 16 of the Champions League.

The Red Devils have revived their bid for a top-four finish with the Norwegian at the helm and sit sixth, level on points with Arsenal and three points off Chelsea in fourth. They face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16 and will also travel to Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup in February.

Solskjaer defended his philosophy, inspired by his Old Trafford boss, Sir Alex Ferguson but didn't want to contest Pochettino's beliefs: "I'm not here to discuss what Pochettino says. But we are about winning trophies, of course. If you win trophies that's a fantastic day for everyone in the club. It's just the best time of your life when you win because you never know when the next one is going to come."

Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail did note a fault in Pochettino's remarks regarding a top-four finish over titles:

United were distant runners-up to Manchester City in the league last season and lost to Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Their chances of finishing in the top four this term looked remote until Solskjaer took charge.

The pressure on Pochettino to win a trophy is all the greater after his side were knocked out of the Carabao Cup semi-finals following a penalty shootout defeat by Chelsea. The Argentinian was nothing but proud in his post-match remarks, however, via Omnisport:

Tottenham's spending restrictions this season haven't helped their cause, but it's clear that Pochettino and Solskjaer are promoting two different mentalities when it comes to what merits success.