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Up until last weekend’s win against West Brom, Manchester United had secured all their three of their league victories after going a goal down, showing that they have tendency of starting games slow.
They will need to change that trend this weekend against a resolute Saints team adept at holding onto leads. The Saints like to press their opposition high and catch them on the ball near their own goal. This could be dangerous to Manchester United as they remain keen on building out from the back.
It is imperative that their defenders and deep-lying midfielders are switched on throughout. Especially to avoid gifting Southampton an easy goal as they did at home last season.
This is how the Red Devils could line up in defense and midfield for their trip to St.Mary’s on Sunday.
Defence
After their horrific 1-6 thrashing at home by Spurs, Manchester United’s backline has improved and plugged the holes to a certain extent. Ole Gunnar Solskjær will be hoping that his defenders can continue their upturn in form by keeping a very effective Saints attack quiet.
He will, however, face a few selection dilemmas when it comes to naming his back four. With Luke Shaw definitely out for this weekend, Alex Telles will start the game hoping to continue impressing.
It is the central defensive pairing, however, that could cause Solskjær selection problems. Both Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire could use some rest as Manchester United enter a gruesome run of fixtures to end the calendar year.
But with Victor Lindelof getting subbed off against Istanbul due to a recurring back issue and Eric Baily not fully match fit, Ole Gunnar Solskjær will have to push his captain to the limit. He will know full well that Harry Maguire will have to start again when PSG visit next week too, as Axel Tuanzebe is suspended for that game.
Axel Tuanzebe will be hoping to impress on his first Premier League start in almost 18 months to help his team secure the 3 points, as well as to atone for his UCL suspension.
Manchester United face another injury issue at right back with Aaron Wan-Bissaka limping off to the change room during the clash against Istanbul in midweek.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah had deputized at right back during last season's run-in but the buzz from Old Trafford is that Ole Gunnar Solskjær sees Brandon Williams as the long-term second choice right back for Manchester United.
