Manchester United continued their quest for the Premier League title with an impressive victory over Southampton at home, maintaining a 100% win record so far in the League. Zlatan Ibrahimovic opened the scoring for the Red Devils with a powerful header from a Wayne Rooney cross and followed it up with a well taken penalty after Luke Shaw had been fouled by Jordie Classy inside the box.
Despite Southampton’s best efforts, they came up short and Claude Puel and his coaching staff will be wondering where it all went wrong for them at the Old Trafford. In this segment, we take a look at key takeaways from United’s win over the Saints.
#1 Paul Pogba looks worth every penny Manchester United have spent on him
The French man made his first start in the Premier League for the Manchester giants after signing for Juventus and put in an impressive performance in the middle of the park. The energetic midfielder, who lends the right balance to the sides he features in, did his share of dirty work in the middle of the park, while ensuring he adds to his side’s attack with vital contributions.
While he did look a bit rusty in the first few minutes of the game, misplacing passes and not taking the right first touch, his confidence grew as he saw more of the ball and was a constant menace to the Southampton midfield and defence. His attacking numbers from the night read 2 chances created, 4 attempts on goal and a tidy pass completion percentage of 84%.
However, it was his combative abilities which drew the praise against Southampton. He managed to disrupt the rhythm of the opposition with 3 tackles, made a whopping 5 interceptions and added to the side’s aerial prowess on the pitch.
While the beginning was bright, often footballers become victims of their own success and Pogba will have a tough task at his hand as he looks to better himself with every match day.
#2 Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not at United to bide his time on the bench
The Swedish superstar arrived at Manchester United, having won a number of accolades across Europe and looks determined the stamp of his footballing supremacy over England. Despite being labelled as one who would bring depth to the side’s attack rather than being a constant starter, Ibrahimovic has already made 4 vital contributions to his side’s success with goals in FA Community shield and the 2 matches he has played in the Premier League so far.
His aerial prowess has been well documented in the past and it was time for Jose Fonte, a man who has been tipped to make the switch to Old Trafford this transfer window, to have a taste of Ibrahimovic’s abilities first hand as the Swede rose above Fonte to put a powerful header beyond Frasier Forster. For a man whose work ethic has been questioned in the past, Ibrahimovic has looked industrious despite being 34 years of age and looks hungry as ever to ensure that the coveted trophy returns to the red half of the city of Manchester.
Given his performances so far, we do not envisage that Jose Mourinho will be too keen to alter the winning formula he has inculcated in the side so far. All in all, its true what they say about Ibrahimovic. Like wine, he just gets better with age.
#3 Do Manchester United Need Jose Fonte?
Jose Fonte has been a man in the news recently with reports suggesting he could make the move to either of Chelsea or Manchester United, with managers of both the clubs keen to secure his services for a few years. However, given the performances of Eric Bailly and the presence of Chris Smalling in the side, both of whom play as a right sided centre-back we are led to believe that it would be deemed a luxurious buy should United sign Fonte.
What United currently lack is a natural left sided centre-back who can prove to be an able replacement for the often out of pace and error prone Daley Blind and the imminent departure of Marcus Rojo, who is not believed to be in the plans of the Portuguese manager.
His positioning sense has come under questioning in the past and he has often been exposed against big burly powerful strikers and Jose Mourinho, a man who loves to have a rock solid defence will be aware of Blind’s inadequacies and will be keen to add more depth to the mentioned department with recruitments.
While Bailly and even Fonte, if recruited, can play in Daley Blind’s position, historical evidence proves that right sided centre-backs playing as a left centre-backs can prove to be a disastrous move.
#4 Manchester United seems to have found their mojo back
Since the departure of the legendary Sir Alex Fergusson from the club, Manchester United have been weakened. Despite the efforts of the club’s hierarchy to bring in the right talent and the right manager, they have had a number of terrible transfers and have sacked 2 managers who largely failed to live up to the expectations of the club’s fans.
However, with Jose Mourinho at the helm of affairs, the Old Trafford is buzzing again and the match against Southampton reflected the positive vibes that surround the club at the moment. The side presented Southampton with few openings in the game and looked like a classic Mourinho side which closed the results after doubling its lead in the early minutes of the second half.
Mourinho brings with him experience of not just featuring in the Premier League but also winning it and has already made a statement of intent by signing world class players for hefty sums in the form of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic (while he might have come free, his weekly wages are expected to be humongous), Eric Bailly and the world record signing Paul Pogba.
The manager knows the importance of the fans in the home fixtures and had proclaimed that “if the fans play their part, there will be no chance for the opponent” and the Southampton players would be willing to assure you that United played with an extra man, with their supporters making life tough for the Saints during the game.
#5 Southampton have a mountain to climb to replicate their performances of last season
Often, a pre match show featuring Southampton raises the same question that has plagued the club for years now, When will Southampton find a way to retain their best players from the season? The departures of Sadio Mane, Graziano Pelle and Victor Wanyama has left the side depleted and their performance against Manchester United would have been a wakeup call for Claude Puel, one which has come early in the season.
They lacked the bite in the final third of the pitch and their chances of replicating their performances of last season will largely depend on their ability to find the back often, obviously sans the services of Pelle and Mane, the club’s leading goal scorers in the league last season.
The side created a higher number of chances, had a higher number of attempts and floated in dangerous crosses into the box at regular intervals. Nevertheless, they did not have anything to show for the same at the end of the game and this could be a regular feature of the side’s current campaign, if they do not add a proven goal scorer to their ranks.
The new comers at the club will take time to settle down in new surroundings and it is up to the established brigade at the club to ensure performance week after week. Should the influential defender and club captain Just Fonte decide to jump the ship before the transfer window closes, the side could kiss its aspirations for the current season goodbye.
