[EPL] Manchester United 2-0 Southampton

[penk22_]

OPPOSITION FOCUS : SOUTHAMPTON

FORM GUIDE
13/08/2016 – Premier League: 1-1 v Watford (H)
07/08/2016 – Pre-season friendly: 1-0 v Athletic Club (H)
03/08/2016 – Pre-season friendly: 1-1 v Espanyol (H)
30/07/2016 – Pre-season friendly: 1-0 v FC Groningen (A)

LAST LINE-UP
Southampton 1-1 Watford, Premier League, 13/08/2016
(4-4-2 diamond) Forster; Cedric, Yoshida, Van Dijk, Targett; Romeu; Davis, Ward-Prowse; Tadic; Redmond, Long.

WHO'S IN CHARGE?
Claude Puel (since June 2016)
- Former clubs: Monaco (1999-2001), Lille (2002-08), Lyon (2008-11), Nice (2012-16).
- Honours: Ligue 1 (1999-2000), Trophée des champions (2000).
Puel was in charge of Lille when they recorded a 1-0 Champions League home win over United in 2005, but in England he’s best remembered for Lille’s defeat to United in 2007, when he tried to lead his players off the pitch in protest following a quickly-taken Ryan Giggs free-kick. He took over at Saints this summer, following Ronald Koeman's departure to Everton.

MANAGER'S VIEW
Ahead of his third visit to Old Trafford as a manager, Puel told Saints' website: "They have many, many players with great quality, to make the difference every time. We know this and it's important to see our play, and to give a good answer with our collective is the most important. I think we can make a good game and perhaps take one or three points."

HOW WILL THEY APPROACH FRIDAY'S GAME?
The Saints certainly won’t be lacking belief as they arrive at Old Trafford, having won their two previous meetings here. Many of their current squad were involved in both games, including goalkeeper Fraser Forster. Expect to see the in-form stopper start on Friday behind a four-man defence, with Oriol Romeo and Dusan Tadic sitting at opposite ends of a midfield diamond and behind a pair of attackers – a formation seldom seen in England’s top division these days, but which served Puel well at his former clubs in France.

WHO’S WHO IN THEIR SQUAD?
Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (2015/16 season)
Newest arrival: Jeremy Pied (signed 01/08/2016)
Last scorer v United: Charlie Austin (United 0-1 Southampton, 23/01/2016)
Assists king: Dusan Tadic (12 in 2015/16 – PL only)
Card collector: Oriol Romeu (8 yellows in 2015/16 – PL only)
Mr Experience: Jose Fonte (267 Saints appearances, 3,169 minutes played in 2015/16 – PL only)
Hot shot: Shane Long (10 league goals in 2015/16)
Most caps: Steven Davis (87 for Northern Ireland)

THREE KEY PLAYER PROFILES
Goalkeeper: Fraser Forster
Following a 10-month absence due to a knee injury, Forster returned to action in the second half of last season, going an impressive 708 minutes without conceding a league goal. He was an unused member of England’s Euros squad in the summer.

Midfield: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
The Saints’ most expensive recent arrival, Hojbjerg arrived from Bayern Munich for £12.8m, having impressed last season while on loan at Schalke. The Dane was likened to Sergio Busquets by his former Bayern boss Pep Guardiola.

Attacking midfield: Dusan Tadic
The creative spark behind Southampton’s impressive sixth-place finish last season, Tadic assisted 12 league goals – the third highest in the division. Used predominantly in a left-sided attacking midfield role, the former FC Twente man proved effective at picking out a team-mate with either a pinpoint cross or delicate pass into the box. This season, he looks set to play at the tip of a midfield diamond.

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Features/2016/Aug/Opposition-focus-Manchester-United-introduction-to-Southampton-ahead-of-Old-Trafford-clash.aspx

[Kurniawan Ani]

Laga kandang perdana United di #PL dan kemungkinan besar juga akan menjadi laga debut #POGBACK bersama United setelah sebelumnya tidak bisa tampil karena suspended. Meskipun dalam presscon Mou menyatakan Pogba mungkin tidak akan bermain full 90 menit

Hadirnya Pogba juga akan berimbas pada formasi yang akan diterapkan Mou. Menarik ditunggu apakah ia akan tetap stick pada 4-2-3-1 atau akan memainkan skema 4-3-3.

Soton yang masih belum stabil pasca ditinggal Koeman, Wanyama dan Mane juga patut diwaspadai mengingat dalam 2 musim terakhir United tidak pernah menang atas Soton di Old Trafford. Sebuah rekor yang cukup impresif serta menjadi bekal klub asuhan Claude Puel untuk bisa hat-trick kemenangan di OT.

Tapi saya tetap optimistis United bisa mengalahkan Soton dengan margin 2 gol. Perlu diingat juga Mou punya rekor partai kandang yang cukup sip dengan hanya kalah 5 kali dari 106 laga homenya di PL.

[alfiandrmwn]

WILL MOURINHO START SMALLING AND POGBA?

With Chris Smalling and Paul Pogba no longer suspended, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has a healthy selection dilemma ahead of Friday night's Premier League match against Southampton at Old Trafford.

The question mark over both players’ involvement may also trouble Reds supporters who take part in our popular Team Predictor challenge on Facebook, in which a signed shirt is awarded to a fan who correctly names the manager’s starting XI ahead of each top-flight fixture this season.

Pogba is the main talking point ahead of Friday’s clash with Saints now that he is officially available for selection, having missed the 3-1 win at Bournemouth on Sunday due to a one-match ban that carried over from a yellow card he picked up in his final match with former club Juventus.

If fit and ready, one would assume the world-record signing would slot straight into the starting XI – but who would he replace in the team? That is something of a head-scratcher following the excellent performances of central midfielders Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini at the Vitality Stadium.

Herrera was singled out for praise by many fans and pundits watching the game, while Fellaini’s fine display was highlighted by Mourinho during the manager’s post-match interview with MUTV after the Belgian impressively finished the game with a pass completion rate of 98.7 per cent.

“You look at the squad now and there were players who were not even in the squad at Bournemouth,” Paddy Crerand told ManUtd.com this week. “There is such a challenge for places and having people up your backside wanting your position keeps you on your toes, believe me!

“It is going to be interesting now because Paul Pogba will presumably be in the team, so who is the manager going to leave out? Herrera and Fellaini were both terrific at Bournemouth. Fellaini is a very underrated player. I think he does a great job and is an important player in certain situations. So it is going to be interesting to see the team against Southampton; let's wait and see what happens.”

Smalling can also face the Saints after serving the one-match suspension that he collected with his dismissal in last season’s FA Cup final at Wembley. He was excellent throughout 2015/16 and registered 55 starts at centre-back, but it remains to be seen whether he will slot back into the starting XI.

New signing Eric Bailly was superb against Leicester City in the Community Shield and again at Bournemouth, earning the Man of the Match awards from both outings, while Daley Blind’s intelligent approach appears to be complementing the Ivorian’s physical style. So will the manager displace either of his centre-backs against Southampton? We await his team news announcement at 19:00 BST on Friday.

http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2016/Aug/Paul-Pogba-and-Chris-Smalling-back-from-suspension-for-United-v-Southampton.aspx

[goodmin]

Fellaini wajib main ini.

[fredrian.seven]

Wah, Pogba bakal debut ntar malam ya. Udah 10 hari latihan. Mulai pemanasan menjelang derby. Moga debutnya berakhir kemenangan United. Aamiin...

[nu_reccayasha]

starting line up nya mantap kali....
pogba dpasangin sama fellaini....
tengahnya jangkung semua....
lagi2 mhiki ga jadi starter, hmmmm...

[alfiandrmwn]

[J. A. Adji]

Felli bermain 180 menit di dua pertandingan sebelumnya. Sepertinya salah satu andalan Mourinho di lini tengah
Menunggu duetnya dengan Pogba.

[theater of dream]

Kesampaian juga duet physical presence di lini tengah

[fredrian.seven]

Edan si Ibra ini. Jangkung tapi benar2 kuat di udara. Biasanya jangkung tapi disuruh lompat ya nggak kuat tapi klo Ibra nggak.