Manchester United take three points from their trip to St. Mary’s.
Erik ten Hag got the result he wanted against Southampton as Manchester United made it two wins from two. That made it a successful week for the Dutch coach after beating Liverpool 2-1 on Monday night.
The Red Devils showed that they learned from the mistakes they made against Brentford two weeks ago. There is also lots of room for improvement and it’s clear we are lacking options in the attacking department.
Lessons learned from Brentford
I think we can be very happy with this result. Southampton played long balls to target Lisandro Martinez, like Brenford did in their 4-0 win over United, but the Argentine was named Man of the Match for his performance today. The team defended well and the performance was worthy of a clean sheet.
Room for improvement
United need to create more chances and learn how to keep possession better. We won thanks to a volley and what they learned from the Brentford defeat. There are early signs of progression, and we need to continue that against Leicester City on Thursday night to gain more momentum.
Short in the attacking department
I said it earlier this summer that United can’t rely on Anthony Martial and I think his fitness record proves that since the start of the season. That meant Marcus Rashford kept his place in the starting line-up, but he looked isolated up front and didn’t show as an option when we had the ball in Southampton’s half. Cristiano Ronaldo came on in the second half but it’s a sign that he has been dropped from the starting line-up. Hopefully, United sign Antony before deadline day.
