The Premier League kicked off just last weekend and Southampton already have one of their toughest fixtures ahead: away to the revamped Manchester United.
Southampton started their season with a 1-1 draw against Watford at St. Mary’s. The Saints were quite shaky in the first half but looked stronger after the halftime interval. Forward Nathan Redmond brought the Saints back into the match and secured the draw.
José Mourinho’s men opened their campaign with a 3-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth. Zlatan Ibrahimović opened up his account in the Premier League. It seems that Ibrahimović will have no issues adapting to the Premier League. The world’s most expensive player Paul Pogba did not appear last week in United’s victory. Mourinho declared that Pogba is “ready to play” and could make an appearance at Old Trafford against Southampton.
It is going to be a challenge for the Saints to play the possession based style that manager Claude Puel likes to employ. For Southampton, this match is going to be decided in the midfield. The key matchup in this match, assuming they both start, will be Pogba v. Oriol Romeu.
Romeu, who did not look his best against Watford, is a strong defensive midfielder with the ability to break up play. Romeu would be the anchor In Puel’s favored midfield diamond, playing right in front of Southampton’s back line.
Pogba, while he may play as a holding midfielder for United, is both a physical and creative playmaking midfielder who enjoys running forward with the ball. It is going to be imperative for Romeu to shut down Pogba’s runs and successfully break up the counter attacks that Pogba is able to launch.
Romeu will also be tasked with watching both Wayne Rooney and Ibrahimović who are both able to find the back of the net from any distance.
Last season, Southampton lost to United at home but was able to win 1-0 away courtesy to substitute Charlie Austin’s late goal.
Puel has visited Old Trafford twice before, both during his time as manager of French side Lille. He is hoping that his third visit will be a victory. Puel feels the squad is ready to go for this big matchup early in the season.
"“We have prepared with good training sessions for this game. It is just the second game of the season and it will be interesting to see my team against a very good team with great players and I think we can make a good game and perhaps take one or three points,” Puel said."
Next: 4 Keys to Southampton's Game vs. United
Match Info:
Date: Friday, August 19
Kick Off: 3:00 p.m. ET
Location: Manchester, England
Stadium: Old Trafford
TV Info: USA
Live Stream: NBC Sports