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Strongest Possible Manchester United Lineup To Face Southampton – A Home Debut For All The New Signings?

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So the first game at the Old Trafford for the new season is just around the corner and the fans are looking all excited to see their beloved Reds marching on-on-on towards to good old days. The Devils kicked their new campaign under the new boss in style as they defeated Edie Howie’s men at the Dean Court with a comfortable scoreline and most importantly, they were agitated to see Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring his first league goal as well Bailly giving a man of the match performance.

After a positive start, the side will now face the new rejuvenated South Coast club, Southampton, who recently played a 1-1 draw against Watford last weekend. Talking statistically, Manchester United do not really have a great home record against the Saints as they have lost their Old Trafford fixtures from the past two seasons.

But the tables have turned and the story is different, for both the clubs. Manchester United are looking more confident than ever, while Southampton are facing some serious troubles as they sold their star men like Graziano Pelle, Sadio Mane, and Victor Wanyama and haven’t really filled the void. Yes, they have the former Norwich man Nathan Redmond, but can he really replicate what Mane did?

This time around, United really have a point to prove and with a squad like this, they can really find that cutting edge in the fixture. So, here is the predicted lineup for Manchester United that could give Southampton a run for their money:

Goalkeeper: David De Gea-

The Spaniard will be the obvious choice for the Portuguese manager and will be looking forward to keep a clean sheet this time around. Thanks to a wonderful defensive performance by Blind and Bailly, De Gea had nothing much to do, but Bournemouth’s full-back eventually got the better of him as he netted a thunderous shot, for which De Gea had no answers.

Defence: Valencia; Bailly; Blind; Shaw-

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The Ecuadorian skipper, Antonio Valencia, is really improving. The 31-year-old was heavily criticized for his poor judgement and crossing abilities, but under Mourinho, he has gained the momentum and has been a real rock in defending as well. He is a pure threat while making the forward runs and that could cause some serious troubles to the visiting side.

The centre-back pairing might remain the same against the Saints. Both Bailly and Blind were looking calm and composed on the ball against Bournemouth. With the former doing the physical work, the latter was parcelling the danger balls into the area. United do have the services of Chris Smalling this time around, but Mourinho might give him a rest as he still is not fully fit.

On the left side, United will surely deploy Luke Shaw, who had an average game last time out, but was very effective both defensively and offensively.

Holding Pair: Carrick; Pogba-

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Manchester United manager recently hinted that he sees a holding pair of Michael Carrick and Pogba for the team. The Englishman has a whole lot of experience to his bag and is always a calm figure, while the Frenchman is hungry for goals.

“We have Michael Carrick, 34 or 35-year-old-man,” he said.

“Stable, intelligent, to play as one man in front of the defenders, give us all the stability, he knows everything. Tactically very intelligent.”

It is obvious that the manager will be using Paul Pogba for the majority of the games, while the players like Schneiderlin, Herrera and Fellaini will be the second choice and given the experience of Carrick over these names, this midfield duo might work wonders in the campaign.

Attacking Trio: Mkhitaryan; Rooney; Martial-

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Surprisingly, the manager used Juan Mata on the right spot against Bournemouth and the Spaniard, ironically, scored the first ever Premier League goal of Jose Mourinho’s era. But this time around, the manager might go with the new signing, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who only received a 15-minute cameo against Eddie Howe’s side. The Bundesliga player of the year could really change the course of the game in split-timing and this is what he will be looking forward to do in the coming weeks.

With him playing on the right, Anthony Martial will be looking to surpass the defenders from the opposite flank. The Frenchman, in the last game, looked a little lost and was also looking tired in the second half of the game, but the manager is well aware of his abilities, hence, he might retain his position.

And at the centre, the Skipper, Wayne Rooney, will guide his team.

Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic-

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The Big Swede marked his Premier League debut in style as he scored a thumping goal from a long range. Besides that, he showed the spectators a glimpse of his Kung-Fu techniques and his free-kick nearly ripped the net, but thanks to the strong hand of Boruc, it was denied. All in all, the 34-year-old performed like a 24-year-old and will be looking forward to Photostat the same form against the Saints

 

Written by Patrick Rees

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