{"id":1151472,"date":"2020-07-13T22:36:16","date_gmt":"2020-07-13T21:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1151472"},"modified":"2021-03-30T09:53:16","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T08:53:16","slug":"manchester-united-2-2-southampton-match-analysis-five-things-learned-hasenhuttl-martial","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/manchester-united-2-2-southampton-match-analysis-five-things-learned-hasenhuttl-martial\/","title":{"rendered":"“Fabulous but flawed” Man Utd slip-up against Southampton, losing ground in Champions League race"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an intense night of football, Manchester United<\/span> and Southampton<\/span> played out a 2-2 draw.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saints<\/span> started the game on the front-foot and took the lead but United fired back through extreme individual quality, then trying to see the game out they were pegged back at the death by Southampton<\/span> whose stoppage time equaliser prevented United from going into the top four.<\/p>\n

What did we learn?<\/p>\n

\"Black<\/a>

Black Lives Matter:<\/span> Read more about the cause footballers are taking the knee for<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

1. Manchester United are fabulous but flawed<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Manchester United<\/span> are obviously on one hell of a roll at the moment but the game against Southampton<\/span> made it clear that whilst they may be the Premier League’s in-form side, they are far from near being finished and actually have some glaring weaknesses that can be exposed. This would have been true even if they had won, but Southampton’s<\/span> equaliser does kind of hammer<\/span> the point home.<\/p>\n

Obviously it takes a fantastically coached side to expose them, and that is where we must praise Ralph Hasenhuttl<\/span>, but the flaws United have are the kind that Champions League sides will expose. United’s centre-backs are capable of bringing the ball out from the back but both full-backs are achingly poor in possession and can be easily pressed into mistakes, as Southampton<\/span> did numerous times.<\/p>\n

In midfield the persistence of Nemanja Matic means that United will never be fluid enough with the ball to contend against the sharpest pressing sides because it’s too easy to force them into mistakes. It doesn’t help that of their most capable ball-players in the back six; Victor Lindelof is not good enough to play in the side and needs to be replaced, and Paul Pogba<\/span> is a player prone to overplaying on the ball and not being aware of danger around him. Both of these weaknesses were exposed by Southampton<\/span> as they squeezed the middle of the pitch, reducing the quality of the supply to United’s fabulous front four.<\/p>\n

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Man Utd 2-2 Southampton FT:<\/p>\n

Shots: 8-9
Shots on target: 4-5
Passing accuracy: 80%-81%
Possession: 48%-52%<\/p>\n

? https:\/\/t.co\/gtoUUNl5zr<\/a><\/p>\n

— Squawka (@Squawka) July 13, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n