Beginning of the end for Rooney?
There has been much talk this week about Wayne Rooney’s future, with speculation that he could depart for the Chinese Super League as soon as Tuesday. But it seems as if United’s record goal scorer will delay his decision until the end of the season, despite not receiving the most stirring of testimonials from Jose Mourinho.
“You’ll have to ask him,” said the United manager this week. “I can’t guarantee that I’m here next week. How can I guarantee that a player is here next season? What I can guarantee is that if Wayne one day leaves the club, it is not because I want him to leave the club. That’s the only thing I can guarantee.”
What can also be more or less guaranteed is that unless there’s an injury to someone like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Rooney won’t play a major role in big games for the rest of the season. So, even if he gets over the muscle strain that ruled him out of Wednesday’s trip to St. Etienne, it remains to be seen what role Mourinho gives Rooney at Wembley.
Who is Southampton’s biggest threat?
One of Southampton’s big problems this season has been their inconsistency, which has even been seen within games. Claude Puel’s side seem to play well for a short time but too often fail to take the chances they create and so do not get the result of which they’re capable.
The lack of a clinical striker has been a problem: Charlie Austin has been injured since the start of December, while Shane Long is a fine player but not a natural poacher, and Jay Rodriguez and Nathan Redmond are basically wingers who chip in with goals when they can.
January signing Manolo Gabbiadini, though, has already scored three goals in just 163 minutes and is already Southampton’s joint-third highest scorer in the Premier League. These are early days, and many strikers have started well but fizzled out, but it’s possible that at £14.5million, Southampton could have one of the bargains of the season.
Will rest benefit Southampton?
A trend of this season has been that having extended periods of rest can be crucial for a team’s chances. It’s not the only reason for Chelsea’s dominance of the Premier League, but it’s an important one.
Could it be significant, then, that United have played three times since Southampton beat Sunderland 4-0 on Feb. 11? Granted, the two-legged Europa League tie against St. Etienne and a relatively routine 2-1 FA Cup win over Blackburn were perhaps not excessively taxing, but while they’ve been playing, travelling and recovering, Southampton have merely been preparing.
Lessons from the past
In recent years the head-to-head record between the two teams is relatively even. United have won five of the nine league games since Southampton returned to the top flight in 2012, but the Saints have won the past two league games at Old Trafford.
But in cup competitions, it’s a little more one-sided: Indeed, Southampton haven’t beaten United in a knockout game since 1986, when they won a League Cup third-round replay 4-1, with two of the goals coming from an 18-year-old Matthew Le Tissier. A more famous win, though, came in 1976 when Southampton stunned United 1-0 in the FA Cup final.
History in the making for Saints?
This will be Southampton’s first appearance in a League Cup final since 1979. On that day they lost 3-2 to Nottingham Forest, who a few weeks later would lift the European Cup. Brian Cough’s side triumphed despite having enjoyed a few drinks — apparently at the behest of their manager — the previous evening.
Southampton took the lead in the first half through David Peach, but by the second half, the Forest heads had cleared enough to score three times and lift the cup. That day is the only previous time Southampton have reached this stage of the tournament, and Sunday will be their first major final since the 2003 FA Cup decider, which they lost 1-0 to Arsenal.
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