Man Utd – Southampton: Delicious bait for the 'red devils'

(Baonghean.vn) - The disappointing draw with Burnley in the last round has caused the second place of the Old Trafford team to become increasingly shaky, facing the pressure of the opponents right behind.

Although not saying it, coach Mourinho and his team have almost accepted to give up in the championship competition with Man City. The goal of the "red devils" at this time in the Premier League is nothing other than to maintain the 2nd position on the rankings. This was a task that seemed too easy for Man Utd a few rounds ago, when the gap between them and opponents like Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal was quite large.

However, two consecutive draws against Leicester City (2-2) and Burnley (2-2) have put the "red devils" in a rather difficult situation. Currently, the difference in points between Man Utd and Chelsea (ranked 3rd) and Arsenal (ranked 6th) is only 1 and 6 points respectively. If they continue to lose points like they have recently, the risk of being knocked out of the TOP 4 of coach Mourinho and his team is very clear.

It was thanks to Lingard's double that Man Utd were able to regain 1 point from Burnley. Photo: Internet

Therefore, the "special one" must quickly help Man Utd return to the winning track, first of all, winning all 3 points in the reception of Southampton in this round.

In every aspect, the Old Trafford team is superior to the team nicknamed “the saints”. In addition to the advantage of playing at home, the force in the hands of coach Mourinho is of a much higher level than his colleagues on the other side of the battle line.

In the first leg between the two teams, Lukaku was the only one to score, bringing victory to Man Utd. Photo: Internet

Besides, although their performance is not as impressive as Man City, compared to the rest of the Premier League, the "red devils" are still slightly better. Since losing to Man City (1-2) in the 16th round, Man Utd have gone through an unbeaten streak in the Premier League (2 wins, 2 draws). Meanwhile, Southampton's performance is not as good, Coach Pellegrino and his team have not tasted victory once in the last 7 rounds (3 draws, 4 losses).

Having to play as a guest at Old Trafford, possessing a much weaker force, and not being able to match their performance, Southampton also has a head-to-head record that is far worse than Man Utd's. According to statistics, in the last 6 meetings between the two teams, the "saints" lost 5 matches and only had 1 draw (Southampton 0 - 0 Man Utd on May 17, 2017). In the first leg of this season (September 23), Southampton also let Man Utd beat them 1 - 0 right at St Mary's Stadium.

Through what has just been mentioned, it can be affirmed that coach Pellegrino and his students are the 'delicious bait' for the "red devils" who are hungry for points. Victory is difficult to escape from the hands of coach Mourinho and his students, the problem is how the team at Old Trafford will win.

A ruthless destruction or just a 'good enough' victory in Mourinho's way? The answer will be revealed after the end of the Man Utd - Southampton match, taking place at 0:30 on December 31 (Vietnam time)./.

Thanh Hung