Man United have suffered two setbacks in the past week, forcing them to slide out of the top four but Ralf Rangnick has urged his players not to hit the panic button just yet.
Manchester United were knocked out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough last week and then this week they were held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley in the Premier League. There’s every chance they could stumble on Saturday as well since they are going to take on a buoyant Southampton side.
The Saints played some eye-catching football against Spurs as they won that match 3-2 and there’s every chance they can pick up something from their visit to Old Trafford as well.
Despite the poor results, Ralf Rangnick has insisted that his players are able to comprehend and adapt the tactics on the training ground and now it’s only a matter of sticking to those plans for the full 90 minutes on matchdays.
“How we played in the first half or 70 minutes at Burnley was very, very close to the game-plan that we spoke about and now it’s about rewarding ourselves and getting the results that we deserve,” he said in his press conference.
“I think the players have realised that there has been a good development in the last couple of weeks, both in and out of possession.
“They realised that we controlled the game but, then again, if we concede a goal, against Boro it was after 65-70 minutes, we should just stick to the game-plan. Not, all of a sudden, lose shape or lose composure.
“This was the most harmful part of it. We just didn’t stick to that game-plan. All of a sudden, we didn’t have the same positioning on the pitch, our two 8s were too far outside, this is what we spoke about yesterday and the day before, when we analysed the Burnley game.
“Hopefully, when we have the same amount of opportunities, we score more than one goal, this has to be more effective. But we have to be aware of why we were so dominant.
David De Gea believes Man United are CURSED 😳 pic.twitter.com/1sBARUTjNP
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“We have to stick to that, all of a sudden, not lose structure, lose shape, it was obvious for some 15-20 minutes against Burnley. It got better at the end of the game, and we had more control, but in those 15 minutes, we lost that shape.”
Can Man United revive themselves against Southampton?
If Southampton play with the same energy and intensity as they did vs Conte’s side then Manchester United will surely struggle to cope.
United have been playing great football during the first half of matches but right after the break, all their energy fizzles out. So if they cannot take a handsome lead in the first 45 minutes on Saturday then things might take a turn for the worse in the next 45.
We feel the midfield area is going to be the key in what direction the game tilts and if Man United can take control of the middle of the pitch then they might have a great chance of picking up a win or else it’s going to be a very evenly balanced contest.
The home side needs to win this game at any cost or else they will suffer a major blow in terms of finishing in the top four because as things stand if teams like Spurs and Arsenal can win their games in hand then they will be well above Man United on the table
