Forwards
For the second straight week, Claude Puel played Nathan Redmond and Shane Long up front, with Dusan Tadic laying off in the number 10 spot. Against United’s crowd and defence, the three up front failed to get anything going. A Tadic shot called back for offside was as close as anyone got to putting one on the board for Southampton; overall, the timing and chemistry just wasn’t there this week. Tadic and Redmond tried the link-up via crosses, corners and ground passes more times than I could count but it always seemed that the Serbian international was a foot too high or too far ahead of his English counterpart for the move to work.
Shane Long, meanwhile, must’ve felt forgotten by his teammates up front, who didn’t give him near the amount of forward service he got last week. The chances he did get were largely squandered, a constant problem for the attacking third as a whole. By the time he came off for Jay Rodriguez in garbage time, his frustration was apparent.
Standout: Dusan Tadic
Tadic gets it over Redmond for the simple reason that his shot was the only one that actually found the back of the net, offside flag notwithstanding. Overall, his game wasn’t great but wasn’t awful either, which is pretty much the best you can hope for playing Manchester United on their day in their house. I have my doubts about continuing to use him as a 10, rather than up front and out wide like he prefers, but until I have my UEFA Licences I’ll defer to the gaffer on that one.
Snoozer: Shane Long
Shane Long did not have a good game. You have to feel for him, because the passion is obviously there, but Friday was just not his day. The chances he got were poor ones; the good ones he got were largely ineffectual. For most of the game, he was a nonentity. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him kept on the bench against Sunderland as Claude Puel continues to tinker with the setup up front. But his entire season shouldn’t be judged off one bad day against one of the League’s top sides, and he should get more looks in as the season wears on.
Grade: 5/10