Manchester United vs Southampton – EFL Cup Final Preview
By Rajat Singh
TACTICS AND FORMATIONS
The man between the sticks for Southampton will play a key role and could be the deciding factor between whether the Saints would win or not. Fraser Forster has been superb conceding just one and two goals more than Liverpool and Manchester City respectively all season. The last man in defence will have his work cut out though, with United’s attacking firepower capable of scoring goals at their own wish sometimes.
Apart from the pre-game planning that will be done by both the tacticians, Mourinho and Puel, the game is expected to offer some great mini-battles on the pitch as well. During the course of 90 minutes or quite possibly, even extra time being needed, the pitch could produce some fine moments with the winner to take it all on Sunday.
Mourinho has come to use a 4-1-2-3 with Carrick playing as the anchor and the playmaker by sitting deep into the heart of the midfield. This allows the likes of Pogba and Herrera to drift further and help in the attack. Southampton have used a deviation of the same system, a 4-2-3-1 formation. The Saints have deployed this to great effect and would be hoping it clicks yet again.