"It won't be one-way traffic" - Mark Lawrenson predicts result of Manchester United vs Southampton Premier League clash
BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson has predicted a Manchester United victory when they take on Southampton. The Red Devils host the Saints in the Premier League tomorrow (February 12).
Lawrenson believes it won't be a straightforward match and predicted a 2-1 victory for Ralf Rangnick's men. He specifically pinpointed Southampton duo Armando Broja and James Ward-Prowse as the players who could trouble the hosts' defense. Lawrenson told the BBC:
"It will be interesting to see how United get on against Southampton because it won't be one-way traffic. I can see Armando Broja causing the United defence some problems and so will James Ward-Prowse with his set-pieces."
Back on home turf 🔜💫
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Manchester United come into this encounter having drawn their previous league match 1-1 against bottom side Burnley in midweek. Lawrenson feels the performance pinpointed some of the club's biggest problems on the pitch. He said:
"United are still very up and down during games and we saw again in their draw against Burnley that they don't seem able to play well for 90 minutes - they only seem to manage it for one half at the moment."
Manchester United yet to deliver a standout performance under Ralf Rangnick
Stating that Manchester United haven't delivered a complete performance since Rangnick's arrival, Lawrenson said:
"United can argue the big decisions went against them but they should still be beating the Premier League's bottom side anyway. The bigger issue is I am still waiting to see a performance from them under Rangnick that tells me they are on their way, or up and running, under him."
However, he acknowledged that the Red Devils were unlucky during their draw against Burnley. Raphael Varane had a goal ruled out while an own-goal from Josh Brownhill was also chalked off due to a negligible foul in the build-up.
In this regard, Lawrenson said:
"I do think they were unlucky not to beat the Clarets, though. It's not even the case they are not taking their chances because they did that at Turf Moor, but VAR ruled two of their goals out. I can understand why Rangnick was so frustrated - especially at seeing Josh Brownhill's own goal disallowed."
United are held at Turf Moor.
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Manchester United have had a mixed run under Rangnick so far. They have managed just six wins in 12 matches across all competitions, apart from four draws and two losses. The club have also exited the FA Cup, losing to Middlesbrough on penalties earlier this month.
The Red Devils will need to drastically improve on the pitch if they are to finish in the top four of the Premier League. They will also hope to stitch together a deep run in the UEFA Champions League.