Manchester United vs Southampton - Tactical analysis, team news, statistics and prediction

After a thrilling round of international qualifiers with three to four players in Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie and Ricky Lambert from today’s fixture helped qualify their national teams for next year’s showdown at Brazil, it is back to a normal daily routine where the former, from England & Dutch will help pulling Manchester United to a victory to avoid a narrowing into a deep spiral spin post this game.

While the latter, Ricky Lambert, together with Southampton will look to continue their impressive away form and thereby staying in top 4, yet another week.

Going by the current form of Manchester United, if you had said that they thrashed Swansea 4-1 on the opening day of the league, many would laugh their faces out in disbelief, for their form has been so volatile both across 90 minutes per game as well as the last 6 league games.

David Moyes is still learning on how to manage the defending champions & across the way things have gone wrong, if not worse across all facets starting from the tactical blunders against their noisy neighbours (playing a 4-4-2 formation with Fellaini & Carrick), a wrong squad selection (starting the 34 year old Rio Ferdinand for 5 matches straight, playing Young week in/week-out despite less than 1% of his crosses finding a united player at the front) & the bizarre circumstances involving the exclusion of Nani, Kagawa & Chicharito.

If we split the pitch into 3 areas and try to analyze accordingly at each of these areas of defense, midfield & attack, not much has changed in terms of players. They were conceding equal if not more goals at the same stage last season & their midfield was still average like the current one.

Zeroing in on their woes, it comes down to their firepower, that hasn’t started firing like they used to during the course of last season. (remember 4-3 goal fest against Reading in under 40minutes, a 3-2 come back win against Southampton & Aston Villa, 5-5 against West Brom in the last match of the season)

Much boils down to this – change in formation & tactics has seen us lose the midas touch that Rooney-RVP combination had last season with RVP having been the most affected since he has looked absolutely clueless, if one had noticed him during the last six league games. Secondly, the lack of good wingers & their drop in form has been a blow, where the success rate of a cross finding a united man upfront has been pathetic & near close to 10%.

Thirdly, Moyes continues in not playing Kagawa when a role of playmaker is the order of the day to create chances, which was evident by the fact until Adnan Januzaj scored the equalizing goal last match, United hadn’t scored for 400 minutes from open play. Finally, the fact that entire team looks to be waiting for something to happen excluding Rooney & Januzaj, is certainly not helping their cause at all. These are all some clues that Mauricio Pochettino would already have analyzed & would be waiting with all guns to punish the defending champions.

Only if Manchester United & their coaching team can have a positive mindset & start correcting the above blunders, can Manchester United hope to make an impact on the league this season especially when the season is still so fresh. If not, finishing within top 4, let alone a win against Southampton today would be far beyond reach!

Southampton have been inch perfect this season with their only defeat coming against Norwich. Their defense have worked their socks out having just conceded twice, an amazing feat considering they have played the dangerous Liverpool at Anfield on their way. Complementing their defense is their attack, who have stood to the occassions by squeezing out a goal or two, every match right from the beginning. Much credit is to be given to their manager, Mauricio Pochettino who has completely turned the tables around by introducing a style of play that footballers dream to play.

No wonder Pochettino has been successful becuase he has been able to tick two important boxes of Marcelo Biesla’s (Pep Guardiola in his autobiography comments himself & Biesla had an intense 2 day tactical discussion before he took over at Barcelona at 2008 & thereby claims Biesla is the best coach in the world due to his unparalleled tactical capability) coaching manual i.e. a fluid movement of football & using a high pressing line. I will not go further into detail of how Biesla played his tactical cards, but you can find it here which is very well explained at Pochettino making Marcelo Biesla proud.

The Saints have played to their strengths by countering their opposition on attack & have been able to soak up the opposition’s attacking play quite well, which was quite evident from the Liverpool match. With tough run up of fixtures nearing them they would hope to carry on this dream run, well knowing that they are bound to be stopped on the tracks.