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Manchester United's problems have gone from bad to worse as they failed to win against a resilient Southampton side. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men went into the game knowing that they had to deliver after two disappointing performances.
The away side drew first blood, courtesy of a breathtaking strike from new-signing Daniel James. United went on to have more of the ball in the first half but failed to capitalize.
The Saints were patiently exploring their attacking options while defending compactly. Ralph Hasenhüttl's side was hit by an injury to their star-man Nathan Redmond in the mid-week league cup-tie against Fulham. He fielded a 4-2-2-2 that pressed non-stop, with fullbacks Kevin Danso and Cedric Soares making overlapping runs.
Southampton had a much better second half, where they showed intent by maintaining possession and finding pockets of space whenever possible. The Saints eventually got their equalizer through a header from Jannik Vestergaard.
After Danso's red in the 73rd minute, they were forced to defend a series of high paced attacks, which they successfully did. The game finished 1-1, much to Hasenhüttl's delight and Solskjaer's dismay.
Here are three things we learned from the game:
#1 Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James are perfect signings
It is a no-brainer that Manchester United needed a revamp after last seasons' blemishes. Reinforcements Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James are justifying their roles in the squad in exuberant fashion.
James scored three goals in his first four games as a United player and is already in the fans' good books. Wan-Bissaka, on the other hand, has dazzled with his strong tackles and overlapping runs. They have shown signs of promise by pitching in impressive performances.
It will be interesting to see how Solskjaer uses these two in the future, as they have become integral to all the good things that are happening on the pitch for the Red Devils.
#2 Jesse Lingard and Ashley Young have become liabilities
Fans were disgusted after yet another disappointing performance by United's senior players. Ashley Young started the game at left-back in place of an injured Luke Shaw and created minimal impact for the Red Devils. He was dispossessed several times and served poor crosses into the opposition box.
Jesse Lingard had to come off the bench after failing to impress in the last three games. His poor form continued after he put up another dismal display at the central attacking position. His poor decisions to go for goal when he could've played a better pass resulted in United squandering several opportunities.
Solskjaer will be under severe pressure from the fans to bench these two, but unfortunately, that may not happen. Manchester United trimmed their squad by sending out Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Chris Smalling, and Matteo Darmain thereby depleting their options.
They are forced to rely on the academy graduates such as Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes, and Axel Tuanzebe who have shown signs of promise.
We may see a younger set up from United in the upcoming games. However, the problem is that there is a lot of uncertainty looming over how well they can take the pressure.
#3 Paul Pogba's inconsistency is hurting United
The most worrying part of United's frustrating outing to the South Coast was Paul Pogba's performance. The Frenchman is, without doubt, their best player by a long shot. However, Pogba has disappointed the fans with his lack of commitment and laziness that he has displayed lately.
With Real Madrid proving to be an alarming distraction, the midfielder doesn't seem to be entirely focused. He lost possession several times, fed loose passes, and failed to track runs against the Saints.
While it seems highly unlikely that Pogba will move away from Old Trafford this season, Solskjaer will be gravely concerned with his mindset.
After dropping a staggering seven points in the last three games, Manchester United cannot afford to sit back and act as though everything is normal. Pogba is generally at the heart of all the creativity that United have, but at the moment, he needs to pull up his socks and perform.
It will be impossible for Solskjaer's men to return to the Champions League next season if Pogba continues to display such lackluster performances.
Manchester United head into the International break knowing that they have a lot to improve. They entertain a high-flying Leicester City at Old Trafford after the break and should ensure that they come back to winning ways.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has time to review his side's disappointing start to the campaign. He must find a solution to his team's struggles as soon as possible else United could be out of the top-four race by Christmas.
