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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has taken some tough decisions over the summer. At the end of last season, the Norwegian had promised a rebuild at Old Trafford, and he has made some bold decisions so far. Solskjaer has shown tremendous belief in youth, refusing to replace Romelu Lukaku and allowing Alexis Sanchez to leave as well. However, recent results have put him in a bit of bother.
Manchester United succumbed to a crumbling home loss to Crystal Palace last weekend, where quite a few gaps within his United se-up were observed. As such, the game against Southampton represented a chance for the Norwegian to clear away the clouds of doubt and reinstate the supporters' faith in his plans.
Injuries and lack of form meant that Solskjaer had to make three changes to the team that lost to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford. He brought in Ashley Young, Juan Mata and Andreas Pereira in place of the injured duo of Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial, and the out of form Jesse Lingard .
However, at the end of the 90 minutes, the Norwegian was left frustrated once again. Despite having a numerical advantage for the last 17 minutes plus stoppage time, United failed to win the game. The game ended in a draw, as the Red Devils were foiled once again by a team that sat deep in their own half.
Solskjaer will be disappointed with the performances of these 3 men, who were poor against the Saints:
#3 Victor Lindelof
Victor Lindelof started the game well and covered admirably for the marauding Aaron Wan-Bissaka on quite a few occasions. As United piled bodies forward, the home side regularly caught them out on the counter, but Lindelof performed well in one-on-one situations. However, as the game progressed, the Swede looked increasingly uncomfortable at times, especially under intense pressing from the home side and began to give the ball away.
Lindelof was also at fault for the Southampton goal. He failed to deal with the threat of Jannik Vestergaard, who bullied him in the box and scored the equalizer. The Swede looked vulnerable again against long balls, a weakness that was exploited by the home side.
#2 Paul Pogba
Solskjaer had expressed his desire to build a team around Paul Pogba last season, hoping to utilize the Frenchman's power and vision to propel United to glory. However, after a decent start to the new season against Chelsea, Pogba has failed to live up to the expectations so far. He was utilized in a deeper role once again against Southampton, but could not impact the game. Pogba gave the ball away cheaply and provided little support to the forward line from deep.
There was the occasional brilliance on display once again, the outrageous turns, the tricks and the ball control. However, for the rest of the game, the Frenchman was unusually quiet. He was pushed forward briefly in the dying moments of the game, and laid down two gorgeous balls for Marcus Rashford, who failed to score. Apart from that, Pogba seemed to run out of ideas near the box.
Without his creative influx, Manchester United were pretty ordinary in the final third. Solskjaer needs to get his talisman back to his best very soon, or else it could turn out to be a long season for the Red Devils.
#1 Marcus Rashford
With Anthony Martial out injured, Solskjaer played Marcus Rashford in the No. 9 role against the Saints. The Norwegian had trusted the Englishman for the role ahead of Lukaku last season, and had big plans for him this term as well. However, his performance against Southampton will have Solskjaer scratching his head.
Rashford was busy as usual in the final third, closing down the opposition and implementing Solskjaer’s high pressing tactics very well. However, he was disappointing with the ball at his feet, and was guilty of giving the ball away too many times. He failed to provide the spark that was required in the box and his decision making was also poor. There were many times when Daniel James was clear on goal, but the Englishman decided to shoot instead.
Rashford’s finishing was below par against the Saints. He had atleast 3 proper chances to score, but didn't look sharp enough. With Daniel James looking impeccable on the left forward role, Rashford’s place in this team could come under scrutiny, especially after his lacklustre display on Saturday.
