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Adam Lallana and co. will be hoping to follow in Matt Le Tissier’s footsteps this weekend as Southampton travel to Old Trafford in a 3 o’clock kick off looking for a win that could possibly send them top of the table.
Although ‘Le God’ and his teammates couldn’t grab all 3 points back in 1999, they took the game to the champions of Europe and a helping hand from Massimo Taibi saw them leave the Theatre of Dreams with a well deserved point. Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping for one better this time around, but it isn’t his attacking unit that are key to getting a result.
The Saints hold the best defensive record in the premier League, conceding only 2 goals in the opening 7 fixtures and at the heart of this statistic is three 3 players showing they can cut it with the best in Europe.
First up is the eccentric Poland international Artur Boruc. Recently brought back into the national set-up, the former Fiorentina no.1 has been key to the side’s early form, proving to be a commanding figure in the penalty area with a 100% success rate in the claims/punches zone. No one could blame him for feeling confident before the game after he has a good history playing against United, helping Celtic to a 1-0 victory in 2006 by saving a last minute Louis Saha penalty.
The Southampton stopper has rediscovered the form that earned him so many plaudits during his five-year stint at Celtic, already keeping as many clean sheets (5) as he did in the whole of last season.
Another player finding some form is central defender Jose Fonte who has flourished in his role alongside new signing Dejan Lovren. The two have been in imperious form since the beginning of the season and look confident with the ball at their feet as well as dominant in the air.
Both defenders have made it into the top 10 defenders regarding their overall performance score and have bagged a goal each for good measure. Lovren holds a 79% tackle success rate and a 73% success rate in his aerial duels, bringing an authoritative feel to a Saints backline that struggled to adapt to top-flight football last season.
Dejan Lovren Duels Won
Their form must strike fear into a certain Dutch forward who has struggled to find the same dazzling form that won Man United the title last season. Robin Van Persie has not scored a Premier League goal in open play since the opening game of the season, while this time last term, he had bagged five Premier League goals.
Robin Van Persie Stats From Opening Seven Games This Season
Robin Van Persie Stats From First Seven PL Games Last Season
It isn’t just his ability to put the ball in the back of the net that is eluding him so far this season, though. Last year saw him create 71 chances for his team-mates, 9 of which were credited as assists. This year, however, he has only played one key pass in 7 matches (11 this time last year) and some would argue that this is due to Wayne Rooney’s prominence in the starting eleven.
Every striker finds poor form at some point in their career and the former Arsenal striker knows he must snap out of his current lull if he is to maintain his position as the main man at Old Trafford. Unfortunately for him he might have to wait another week to find the back of the net due to the impressive form of Southampton’s defensive unit.
