Manchester United vs Southampton: Five talking points

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JANUARY 30: Wayne Rooney of Manchester United scores their second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Southampton

The game between Man United and Southampton turned out contrary to popular perception. Many, including yours truly, were of the view that an easy 3-0 win or more would be the final outcome. But as it turns out, that was not the case. Here are the five talking points from the game:

1.THE STATE OF THE PITCH:

The pitch at Old Trafford looked bad on TV. Imagine how it would have actually been! Sir Alex himself has said that the pitch has run its course and it is in need of relaying. Incidents like the Fulham FA cup game where Chicharito’s first goal was followed by the grass kicking up don’t show the pitch in good light at all. Good, flowing football invariably suffers and both the players and the fans are deprived of the joy they deserve to get from a well-laid pitch. Real come to town next month and the pitch should not to be a source of embarrassment for a club like Man United.

2. ROONEY’S BRACE:

Wayne Rooney‘s brace yesterday was welcomed with delight by the fans and the boss. He is a versatile player, no doubt, but the way he brought his knack of being in the right position into focus was heartening to see. He finished well for the first goal from Kagawa’s pass and was in the right place as Evra’s header came into the six-yard area. With RvP looking a tad off colour, it was good to see Rooney stepping up to score two goals to overturn the 1-0 deficit. Rooney has been known to go on and get a few when he starts scoring and some more from him would be great!

3. RvP’s OFF DAY:

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JANUARY 30: Artur Boruc of Southampton makes a save from Robin van Persie of Manchester United

Sounds strange, doesn’t it? An off day for RvP? I must be joking! But that is exactly what happened yesterday. He was not in the game as much as he ought to have been and even though Boruc made that fantastic save from his header, it was essentially his mistake for not converting. Immediately after that, he was marginally offside as he scored past Boruc. Had he been more clinical and aware, United could have been 3-1 or 4-1 up by the 75^th minute and all of Saints’ pressure would have counted for nought and would have saved United the nail-biting finish they served up yet again! He is the principal striker at the club and I, for one, would like him to work on these small matters which may come to haunt the club later on.

4. UNITED’S SHAKY DEFENCE (AGAIN):

The defending yesterday was pretty shaky, which has now become a common feature for United. Early on, Carrick’s misjudged pass to De Gea wasn’t dealt with properly by the keeper which allowed Jay Rodriguez to score a simple goal. This unnerved the 22-year-old De Gea who looked uncomfortable throughout the game. In the 2^nd half, such was the dominance of the away team(which moved the boss to say that this was the best 2^nd half display by an away team at Old Trafford this season; a big compliment!) that Rio and Rafael had to summoned from the bench so that United could hold on to their 2-1 lead. They did do that ultimately but the way in which it happened left a lot to be desired. The defending needs to improve more and De Gea needs to calm down and stay focused else players like Higuain, CR7, Ozil will punish United heavily.

5. BRILLIANT SAINTS:

Southampton was simply amazing yesterday. They now have a new manager but the way in which they played showed no such signs. Calm, confident and positive in their style of play, the visitors put the home side under massive pressure and a 2-2(just as they drew at Chelsea) wouldn’t have been unfair at all. Their players rose to the occasion and gave a great account of themselves. Seeing how they ran the show in the 2^nd half, one would be hard-pressed to correlate it with their current league position! On such form, they will avoid relegation easily and look well set to get a decent league table position. It was good to see United being made to work ever so hard to earn their three points. Saints didn’t just roll over and go through the motions, not at the least. Guys like Lallana, Clyne, Fox, Lambert made their presence known and did their club proud.

This game served to tell us that you just cannot underestimate any team in this league. Hats off to the Saints! Also, even if you are playing badly (as United were) you still have to get the three points. So, kudos to United for that!