Let’s face it: Manchester United played miserably in the first 35 minutes in Southampton, which was reflected in Matthijs de Ligt’s remorse when Kyle Walker-Peters talked him into an easy feint before Diogo Dalot made a mistake that really should have given Southampton the lead.
United were panicking and just plain shit, once again their football lacked any real pattern, in direct contrast to the pre-match interviews with Erik ten Hag and Dalot which suggested this was a new Manchester United side with a new attitude to pressing without the ball. It looked like the old Manchester United; more accurately, it looked like the old brainless Manchester United.
Southampton clearly had a distinctive style of play, while United looked like a mixed bag of players who relied entirely on counterattacks and undisputed individual quality.
And Southampton should have taken the lead when Dalot foolishly challenged teenager Tyler Dibling. But the longer you watched Cameron Archer wait for his first ever professional penalty, the more you suspected Andre Onana would win this power struggle. And from that moment on, you knew with absolute certainty that United would win this game. They simply have better footballers capable of more extraordinary things.
This was no victory or satisfaction for Ten Hag – the seemed to risk his job with this starting eleven – but it is a sweet relief for the Dutchman when the keyboards were prepared for the kind of “bullying” that Marcus Rashford believes he suffered from United’s most vocal critics.
United’s first goal came from a superb Bruno Fernandes pass which De Ligt converted, while Rashford fired his first goal since March into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. The Saints were doubly at fault for not trying to defend corners well; this will be a long, arduous season for Russell Martin and his well-meaning but flawed side.
Those goals mean that ten Hag no longer has to face any more questions about the hectic first 35 minutes and the impact of the odd decision to start Christian Eriksen, which clearly led to a lack of control in midfield. And he was fully vindicated in his decision – which was heavily criticised by United fans – Stick with Rashford and bring in the lively Amad Diallo for Alejandro Garnacho.
He could also easily point out that United’s points total of six points from four games is exactly the same as it started two years ago, when Ten Hag eventually led United to a top-four finish. And the positives don’t end there, as Manuel Ugarte was allowed to ease into the Premier League, with the emphasis on ‘easy’ as he came on for the final, mediocre 20 minutes when Garnacho made it 3-0 against 10 men.
We also saw a great performance from Joshua Zirkzee, while Lisandro Martinez put in his usual excellent defensive display. There are plenty of positives to take from this visit to the south coast, as long as you ignore the fact that a) this Southampton side will surely go back to where they came from with barely a whimper and b) the first 35 minutes of football were truly awful.
But United will surely find it easier to develop a pattern of play if Ugarte plays regularly alongside Kobbie Mainoo. Then there might finally be something approaching as much substance as individual style and we can stop talking about Ten Hag as a dead man with no discernible plan.
