By oldest 
Man Utd against Saints, right? That game got me hooked so I thought, why not break down how they set up? First thing I did was grab a notepad and settle in front of the telly with the replay. No fancy apps, just old-school scribbling.
Spotting the Starting Shapes
Started by watching the first 15 minutes on slow motion. For United, it looked like Ten Hag went 4-2-3-1 – Casemiro sitting deep with Eriksen, Bruno floating behind Rashford. Saints surprised me with that narrow 5-4-1, their wingbacks pushing up crazy high. Took notes like:
- Saints midfielders double-teaming Bruno every time he got the ball
- United’s fullbacks staying too deep, leaving Antony isolated
Tracking Key Player Duels
Focused on three battles after halftime. Had to rewind like ten times for this part:
- Casemiro vs Ward-Prowse: Saints kept trying through-balls to JWP between the lines. Casemiro read most but got caught twice – that’s when Saints scored.
- Shaw vs Sulemana: Oh man, Sulemana’s pace burned Shaw early on. Shaw adjusted by standing three steps farther back later. Smart.
- Martinez vs Adams: Beast mode! Licha won 8/10 aerial duels despite being shorter. Noticed Adams started dragging him wide to create space – almost worked once.
Second Half Adjustments
Here’s where it got spicy. Around 60 minutes, Ten Hag shifted to a 3-5-2 – no kidding! Malacia tucked inside, Weghorst came on linking play. Saints responded by… well, nothing much. Their manager just sat there chewing gum. Could’ve brought on fresh legs to exploit United’s high line but waited too long.
What Actually Worked?
Finished with two key takeaways:
- Saints’ compact shape killed United’s wings first half
- United’s midfield press after 70 minutes forced Saints into hopeless long balls
Honestly? Both managers were too stubborn. Ten Hag’s late changes saved them, but Saints should’ve nicked a point. Anyway, scribbled all this while drinking cold coffee at 2 AM. Missed my cat’s feeding time but football comes first, yeah?