With Manchester United next up for Southampton this weekend, things just don’t seem to get any easier for Mauricio Pellegrino’s side.
This season hasn’t been a vintage for the Saints, who look vastly inferior to the team who challenged the top six under Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman. Now, under Pellegrino, the defence is leaky and the attack is toothless – a fairly bleak position to be in, all told.
But when it comes to playing against the all-conquering top six, there have been glimmers of hope. Arsenal were on the ropes at times at St Mary’s, whilst it took Manchester City until very late to score a stunning curling strike to seal victory at the Etihad Stadium. This weekend, Manchester is the destination once again for a Southampton side in need of a kickstart to their season.
Although a back three formation has served Saints well in big games at times this season, going with a fairly defensive outlook and deep starting position, the fact that Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares will be missing means that playing with wing-backs will be difficult, whilst the injury / suspension combo ruling Charlie Austin out also means their top scorer will be missing.
So, Saints fans – should Pellegrino go with a back three against United, hoping that the likes of Matt Target or James Ward-Prowse can fill in effectively in the wide defensive positions? Or should he stick to a back four and hope that Oriol Romeu and Mario Lemina can protect the back line? Have your say below…
[ad_pod ]
