Southampton v Manchester United: South coast showdown will entertain

Fix-it Ralph hoping he's found the answer

There has been a lot of speculation about the future of Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhüttl. Saints finished last season poorly, and there was talk that the Austrian had become detached from players and staff, jaded by the Sisyphean task (look it up, kids) of keeping the club competitive on a modest budget with a high turnover of players.

Things looked ugly after the opening weekend thrashing at Tottenham, but stirring comebacks against Leeds (recovered from 2-0 down to draw 2-2) and Leicester (turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win) suggest this squad is still playing for the manager. Hasenhüttl's decision to ditch a 3-5-2 shape for a back four has worked in recent games, and young signings like Sekou Mara and Gavin Bazunu have started the season strongly.

The issue the coach must eventually solve is how to be an energetic and forward-thinking pressing side without sacrificing defensive solidity. Saints have conceded an eye-watering 37 goals across their last 15 top-flight matches.

Che Adams is pushing for a starting spot after a flurry of goals in the last few days. He came on as a sub and scored twice against Leicester (Opta tell us he is the first Saints sub to score a PL brace for six years), and followed that up with two more goals in the League Cup win at Cambridge. Young full-back Toni Livramento is still sidelined by injury.

Liverpool win must be the start, not the end

Football has always been a game where the complexities and the basics must both be mastered if a team is to be competitive in the long term. We talk about tactics, pressing schemes, rest defence (well, some of us talk about that), inverted full-backs and high defensive lines, but none of that can truly be relevant or effective without energy, commitment and a willingness to listen to and follow a coach. Manchester United have lacked those basics for a long time, but in Monday's thrilling 2-1 win over old foes Liverpool, they were in evidence.

New coach Erik ten Hag was at pains to stress that the win over Liverpool was merely the first step on a long road to redemption. The Dutchman has spoken almost religiously about attitude, and he's right to do so, as his mentally and physically demanding style of play simply cannot work without the right attitude.

Ten Hag made some compromises and some eye-catching selection decisions at Old Trafford on Monday. Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo were yanked out of the starting XI (the former to take him out of the firing line, the latter to field an energetic and youthful front three), while goalkeeper David de Gea's shortcomings in possession were mitigated by an instruction to kick the ball long to negate the Liverpool press. That De Gea request isn't sustainable in the long term, but given the Spaniard's status and wage packet, it's a necessary sticking plaster for now.

New signing Casemiro should provide United with a huge boost in terms of leadership and defensive quality. The Brazilian prides himself on winning the ball back and plugging gaps, and his new team have had plenty of gaps to fill. Ironically, Harry Maguire may be one of the players who could benefit most from the Real Madrid stalwart's arrival, but it remains to be seen whether he can win back his place in the starting XI.

Casemiro has been given a work permit and has been cleared to play at St. Mary's, but ten Hag isn't expected to make many changes from the side that started against Liverpool.

Goals the route to profit

United haven't lost any of their last 12 Premier League matches against Southampton, a run that stretches back to January 2016, but I still can't back them in the Match Odds market here at 1.834/5. This is the same team that lost to Brighton and Brentford, teams with smart coaches who press intelligently.

However, I do think there'll be goals, so I'll use the Sportsbook's Bet Builder to back BTTS, Over 2.5 Goals and Che Adams to have a shot on target at 2.466/4. Adams is in terrific form, and United are giving up an average of five shots on target per game in the PL this season.

Manic Martinez to draw attention

Although United's pocket rocket Lisandro Martinez played superbly against Liverpool, the centre-back did so by playing with intensity and being as physical as possible. He only committed two fouls in the 2-1 win, but if he's going to keep playing like that, I suspect he'll pick up a few yellow cards here and there. He seems overpriced to me to be shown a card on the Sportsbook at 4.216/5.

I also like the look of backing Marcus Rashford to score or assist at 2.111/10. Southampton can be caught out by runners in behind, and Rashford's goalscoring display against Liverpool (he netted the winner with a run in behind the Reds' rearguard) will have given him a much-needed confidence boost.