Positive signs have started to arrive for Southampton after they secured two consecutive wins. Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond brought them a 2-0 away win over Brighton, while Michael Obafemi’s single goal sent us into the third round of the EFL Cup.
They are hoping to bring their confidence when they welcome Manchester United to their home this weekend. The away side got four points from their win over Chelsea and a draw against Wolves. In both of those games, and even against Crystal Palace, there was one name that Southampton defenders need to pay attention on.
New signing Daniel James has been playing a very important role in how Ole Gunnar Sojskjær wants his team to line up. Up to now, he has scored two goals and registered a total expected goals (xG) rating of 1.54. The Welsh winger also combined a total expected assist (xA) of 0.66.
In Man United’s 4-2-3-1 formation, he is occasionally used on the right-hand side and at times being moved into the left-winger spot. As a player whose preferred foot is right, he tends to stick to the wide-area and delivers crosses into the box. He can also create short combinations with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Paul Pogba when the team attempt to distribute the ball wide.
When he is on his own on the left flank, he usually cuts inside and works more inside the half-spaces. This leaves spaces in the wide-area for Luke Shaw to overlap into the opposite half. Meanwhile, James will provide supports for the striker and the attacking midfielder as he would change positions with them occasionally.
Furthermore, drifting centrally will allow James to create chances for himself. He tends to dribble with the ball on his own and uses his pace and technical abilities to bypass the pressure from the defenders. As this is one of his favourite traits, it’s no surprise to see he attempts 5.52 dribbles per game this season and completed 61.3% of them.
Last season with Swansea, the Welsh winger also had a few goals from these types of situations. Two of his five goals against Birmingham and Stoke are the examples that Southampton defenders need to know about when stopping James.
Making a step up from the Championship to the Premier League will require James to adapt quickly to play at this level. Up to now, he has coped with most of the expectations given to him. A quick dribbler on the ball, an intelligent player off the ball using positional and spatial awareness to capitalise spaces across the field. With the threat that he could bring to Man United, he should be considered as a Dangerman in the upcoming match.
