Unavailable: Southampton – Forster, Gardoş, Bertrand, Clasie
Manchester United –
Jones, Shaw
It
will be the third time that Southampton and Manchester United have met since Ronald
Koeman and Louis van Gaal were appointed last summer, yet their complicated relationship
remains the principal talking point ahead of this weekend’s clash. The Dutchmen
have not seen eye to eye since a conflict between the two at Ajax, where Koeman
was manager and Van Gaal director of football, although the Southampton boss
declares that he has a good “working relationship” with his fellow countryman. Their
frosty rapport is undoubtedly the result of two vastly different characters. Former
Saints and now United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin recently stated that while
Koeman is a calm operator, Van Gaal is a strict perfectionist who constantly
pressures his players to improve themselves.
This
Sunday, much attention will obviously be focused on Schneiderlin, as this will
be his first St Mary’s return since his move to become a Red Devil. While he
has not played poorly this season by any means, the Frenchman has not yet
stamped his mark in a red shirt. This weekend against his former team-mates, he
will be particularly keen to prove that he has made a successful jump to the
next level. Whatever the result, he is sure to receive a positive reception
from the St Mary’s faithful, after he completed a reluctant U-turn to thrive in
his final season with the club. There will be no return for Luke Shaw though, as
he suffered a horrendous double leg break against PSV Eindhoven earlier this
week. While United’s concern is clearly with the player, the Saints academy
graduate’s severe injury will give Van Gaal a real selection headache. Most
likely, Marcos Rojo will come in at centre-back with Daley Blind slotting in at
left-back. The Dutch international will not have a tranquil afternoon as his
lack of pace is likely to be exposed by the returning Sadio Mané – a late
summer United transfer target before Southampton unequivocally rejected their
advances.
Meanwhile,
Koeman may opt to make further changes in order to bolster his midfield.
Despite James Ward-Prowse possibly putting in his best ever performance while occupying
a deeper role against Norwich, the Southampton boss may decide to add Oriol
Romeu alongside Victor Wanyama to provide extra defensive cover and break up
United’s possession game. Van Gaal will also make a tactical switch with Wayne
Rooney available after a minor injury. After impressing in his debut last week,
Virgil van Dijk has his first opportunity to test himself against top
opposition in the form of England’s all-time top scorer, who is on a desperate
quest to notch his first Premier League goal of the season. Van Dijk will want
to amble forward to offer support to his attacking players as he did at Celtic,
but it will be imperative that he picks his moments prudently with United’s
attacking talent lurking behind him. If not, the Dutchman will be handed a brutal
lesson in the quality of the Premier League.
Key
Battles
Pellè v Rojo: In United’s inevitable defensive shake-up, Van Gaal
will probably turn to Rojo to fill in at centre-back with Chris Smalling. The
Argentinian has only been deemed good enough for the bench this season, as
Smalling and Blind have combined well in the centre of the backline, but this
Sunday, the onetime Saints target will be thrust back into action. Since his
arrival last summer, Rojo has found life difficult at Old Trafford as he has
struggled to play in a number of positions in defence. He is least competent at
centre-back as his positional faults can hamper his team. Aiming to seize on
those errors will be Graziano Pellè. The Italian will not only trouble Rojo,
but also Smalling who may revert to his previous inconsistent form with a different
partner at centre-back. Pellè is particularly prolific on home turf, and may
well cling onto Rojo to exert his physical presence.
Soares v Depay: Another key encounter will take place on Southampton’s
right wing as Cédric Soares will face Memphis Depay. Soares has excelled in
recent weeks, and he should be able to support the player in front of him once
again – most likely Mané. If the right-back can run on the overlap, then he is
usually able to deliver good service from the wing, but it is vital that he is
not bullied by the pace and power of Depay down the other end. In the match
against Everton, the Portuguese suffered when adding to Southampton’s offence as
Romelu Lukaku ran into the vacant space left behind. When Soares attempted to backtrack,
the Belgian overpowered him, and José Fonte was left in a vulnerable position. Therefore,
it is key that he does not sprint forward too readily, and when United do counter,
he will need to get goal-side quickly, otherwise he will be more susceptible to
being handed off when hurrying back. The Portuguese may have some respite due
to Shaw’s absence though. In the early weeks of the season, the England
left-back has bombed down the wing, allowing Depay to sometimes use him as a
decoy runner, and cut inside. Blind will be more reluctant to aid his countryman,
which signifies that the attacker should be easier to track.
Possible
Line-ups
Southampton: Stekelenburg – Soares, Fonte (C), Van Dijk, Targett –
Romeu, Wanyama – Mané, S. Davis, Tadić – Pellè
K.
Davis, Yoshida, Long, Rodriguez, Martina, Ward-Prowse, Juanmi
Manchester United: De Gea – Darmian, Smalling, Rojo, Blind – Carrick,
Schneiderlin – Mata, Herrera, Depay – Rooney (C)
Romero,
Martial, Young, Valencia, Fellaini, Schweinsteiger, McNair
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