Southampton may be the underdogs ahead of their clash with Manchester United on Saturday, but this is by no means a certain defeat.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side came away from Brighton and Hove Albion with three crucial points to get their Premier League season up and running. Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond scored good goals to send the travelling fans back with a big win to savour.
The fortunes of United, however, were far different. Crystal Palace defeated them at Old Trafford after a 93rd-minute goal from Patrick van Aanholt condemned them to a surprise loss. Jordan Ayew opened the scoring before Marcus Rashford missed a penalty for the hosts, and Dan James netted a late but insufficient equaliser.
If the embarrassment of losing such a fixture on home soil wasn’t pertinent enough, the damage sustained by two senior players will have cut deeper. Anthony Martial limped off the pitch and appears likely to miss out this weekend.
But rather more certainly, Luke Shaw won’t be making a homecoming. The former Saints academy graduate is set to miss at least a month’s worth of action with a hamstring injury. He was replaced during Saturday’s game, and will now need his shoes to be filled for the foreseeable future.
Onto the field stepped Ashley Young, a player who, despite the longevity by which his career boasts, has become a scrutinised figure in recent seasons. What was once an enigmatic winger is now a backup full-back, filling in on the right or the left when necessary, providing cover for less experienced but abler players.
The 34-year-old is seen as a reliable option by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: he was made the Manchester United club captain for the 2019/20 campaign in spite of his role as a deputy. However, his decline is an inescapable reality, and one that has hurt the Red Devils in their quest to return to former fortunes of late.
Young does not possess the blistering pace with which he once terrorised defenders. He is not the dynamic, energetic presence, bursting up and down the left flank with unrelenting speed that he once was. Wilfried Zaha gave him a tough time on Saturday at his old stomping ground, and if Southampton are to follow Crystal Palace’s suit by compounding United’s misery, exploiting their weaknesses on the left-hand side will be important.
It was interesting to note that upon Jesse Lingard’s exit from the loss against Palace, Marcus Rashford shifted to a central position, with Dan James then being deployed on the left flank of Solskjaer’s favoured 4-2-3-1. This wing had been targeted by Chelsea on the opening weekend, with Mason Mount and Cesar Azpilicueta both having a lot of joy against Shaw as Rashford seldom tracked back to support his England teammate.
There was greater defensive solidity on the left with James ahead of Young, but the threat of the opposition ceded as the match drew nearer its conclusion, with the visitors a goal to the good until the 89th minute. However, with Saturday’s fixture presenting an open, exciting encounter, space is likely to be created, and as such, the likes of Young and Aaron Wan-Bissaka will be exposed to onslaughts of Southampton pressure in attacking transition.
Young, unlike his teammate on the opposite flank, has never been the most convincing player in his own third, and Southampton have a golden chance to put him on the back-foot at St Mary’s. Ralph Hasenhuttl would be foolish not to deploy natural wide players – either in his favoured 4-2-2-2 shape or, if he does proceed with a more resolute structure, a 3-4-3 – and really challenge the United captain.
Che Adams and Nathan Redmond have alternated in the role of a right-sided attacker so far this season, and both possess the physical qualities to outmanoeuvre Young. The latter of the two, however, looks likely to miss out after suffering an ankle injury in Southampton’s midweek win at Fulham.
There are other weaknesses to note in United’s side: a balance in central midfield has not yet been found, while long, straight balls have prompted greater risk amongst the new-look back four than what had been initially expected. But Southampton may get a lot of joy down the left given Shaw’s absence and the Red Devils’ wingers’ general propensity to leave defensive duties unattended, and directing attacking movements towards the left will likely bear greater fruit than on the right, with Wan-Bissaka currently the best defensive full-back in the Premier League.
Southampton have a very good chance of piling yet more pressure on Solskjaer and his side. If Hasenhuttl is to hone in on United’s weaknesses, while also utilising Saints’ main attacking strength – pace on the break via direct, skilful forwards – then chance creation from the left may be an intelligent tactic.
