Saints Marching
Fansided

Southampton vs Manchester United: Takeaways from Saints collapse

By Ryan Borowski

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: Ralph Hasenhuttl of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton and Manchester United at St Mary's Stadium on November 29, 2020 in Southampton, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: Ralph Hasenhuttl of Southampton during the Premier League match between Southampton and Manchester United at St Mary's Stadium on November 29, 2020 in Southampton, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Southampton had United on the ropes with a 2-0 lead at the break but ended up conceding three in the second half to see themselves come away with no points.

If there is one thing we know about Southampton and Hasenhuttl is they learn from their failures. Things were going well for the team that was on an unbeaten streak of 7 matches but now that they have had a setback they will regroup and reorganize.

Hasenhuttl is an intelligent manager who is always looking to learn and improve will use this match as a chance to strengthen the team.

Let us take a look at the key takeaways from the loss on Sunday.

Squad lacks some depth

It was easy to see the players started to tire towards the end of the match and that resulted in sloppy play that led to turnovers that led to goals. Players will of course tire over the course of a match, especially when they run as much as Southampton does.

However, Ralph does have three subs he is able to use and he seems to hold onto them until late in the match or does not use them at all. I think this speaks to the lack of depth in the squad and Ralph really only trusting 12-13 players to get the job done.

Maybe the younger players still need to develop but this is a problem that could really come back to bite the Saints over the festive period where the matches come at you quickly.

January will be interesting to see if they bring in any veteran talent to come help out.

Danny boy where are you?

This past match is where we missed the presence of Danny Ings the most. Walcott has been fine up top but he does not offer all of the things Ings does when he is out there. Ings and Adams work incredibly well together and Adams has suffered a bit without Ings by his side.

dark. Next. Saints learn their opponents for the FA Cup Third-Round

Hopefully, we see the return of the striker for Brighton but he should be back by the Sheffield match at the latest. His work on and off the ball help create chances for himself and his teammates and I think we will be able to score more when he is out there.

I also believe Walcott will slide over to the left and still start for the club when Ings returns and Djenepo will be a weapon to bring off the bench.

Edison Cavani is good at football

Not much else to say. What a half by a great talent and we paid the price