Monday night showed us that we should trust in the process of Erik ten Hag after all. He picked a winning hand against Liverpool, and in doing so, most likely located some answers at certain position groups. Lisandro Martinez, answering the critics who believe he is not Premier League level, but only Eredivisie rated, had a man of the match level performance.
Next to him in central defense, Raphael Varane had his best match yet as a Red Devil. It seems that Ten Hag has found his first choice center back pairing for the match at Southampton FC.
Manchester United at Southampton FC FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Aug 27, 12:30pm, St. Mary’s
Team news for both sides: go here
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple
PL Table Position: United 14th, 3pts Southampton 11th 4pts
Form Guide: United WLL Southampton WDL
Google Result Probability: United 55% Southampton 22% Draw 23%
And then you have Tyrell Malacia, who proved wrong those who believe he’s only backup and/or Netherlands top flight material. He looks like the first choice left back right now. Christian Eriksen started in defensive midfield versus Liverpool, and he has been playing there at times this season, which is out of position for him.
They didn’t pay all that money for Casemiro to have the ex-Real Madrid man ride the pine. The other switch we see from the Liverpool line-up is swap out one Anthony (Elanga) for another Anthony (Martial).
All the while United still remain in pursuit of Ajax’s Antony. We think the rest of the lineup picks itself, with Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo remaining on the bench. The future of Ronaldo remains in question. Here’s a link to the latest on that.
Man United Starting XI Prediction at Southampton FC
De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; McTominay, Casemiro; Martial, Bruno, Sancho; Rashford
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.