Man United suffered yet another setback in the Premier League as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley, a club who are sitting at the bottom of the table. And things could get even worse since they now face Southampton this weekend.
The Saints came back from 1-0 down to beat Spurs 2-3 on Wednesday night and with the kind of average form that Manchester United are showing right now, there’s every chance Rangnick’s side could slump to a defeat at Old Trafford.
Man United usually come out all guns blazing in the first half of the match but in the second half, they look completely out of ideas and are clueless when their opponents take the game to them. It’s the second half of matches where they usually screw things up and given how Southampton netted two goals in the second 45 minutes vs Tottenham, Hassenhuttl’s side will be really confident of causing an upset on Saturday.
United are undefeated in 10 of their last 11 matches in the Premier League and they also have a very good record against the Saints but then the same was true for Burnley as well. We would love to say that Manchester United are the favourites going into this game but judging by how they have performed in the previous few game weeks, there’s no idea how they will play this weekend.
Man United team news vs Southampton:
There have been calls for Harry Maguire to be benched after he dropped another stinker in midweek. Rangnick might have already hinted to his board that Maguire isn’t good enough and if the club captain is dropped to the bench vs the Saints then it’s sure the manager has lost his faith in the English defender.
Lindelof has done pretty well when called upon and it will not be a surprise if the Swede is recalled into the side and is told to partner Raphael Varane.
Alex Telles should have recovered from COVID by the weekend and without a doubt, he will replace Luke Shaw. Shaw has not been able to spark up things on the left-hand side and if Telles is fully git then there’s no way the England left-back will get a start.
Ralf Rangnick: “If Man United have not won the title in the last 10 years, there must be some good reasons for that”. 🔴 #MUFC
“Everybody on the inside of the club would be happy if we finish fourth at the end of the season – and me too”. @utdreport pic.twitter.com/eLimJjPwen
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 7, 2022
The midfield area is another major cause of concern for the Man United boss since Fred is also out with COVID but unlike Telles, he is not going to recover in time.
With Fred missing, Paul Pogba should hold onto his place in the side but the way Southampton played against Tottenham, Ralf Rangnick should be using a double pivot in defensive midfield.
We have a feeling the manager is going to take a bold call and bring Nemanja Matic into the side to play alongside Scott McTominay which means Pogba will move to the bench.
Ronaldo was benched against Burnley but he will come back into the side this weekend, in place of Edinson Cavani. There’s also a major possibility that Rashford makes way for young Anthony Elanga.
Man United possible absentees:
Eric Bailly – Ankle Injury – Ruled out.
Fred – COVID – Ruled out.
Mason Greenwood – Not available.
Read: Two Man United players criticized after the Burnley draw.
Read: Ralf Rangnick has identified the key problem at Manchester United but why can’t he solve them yet?
Read: Three problems which Ralf Rangnick needs to solve before Manchester United face Southampton.
Stats via Fotmob
