OptiNews - Friday 22 to Thursday 28 September 2017

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 21/09/2017 23:06:59

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| Preview: The Saints to put up a fight with Manchester United reigning supreme at St Mary’sMUFCLATEST |
| | Pictures: Man United stars all-smiles on a rainy day of training ahead of Southampton clashOLDTRAFFORDFAITHFUL |
| | Mourinho Makes 9 Changes: Predicted Man Utd XI vs Southampton | Football Talk | Premier League NewsFOOTBALLTALK |
| | Pellegrino excited for United challengeCLUBCALL |
| | Southampton v Manchester United - Match OfficialsVITALFOOTBALL |

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Southampton vs Man Utd: Mark Lawrenson delivers prediction

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That is according to Liverpool legend and BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson.

Jose Mourinho’s side have notched up four wins from their five Premier League games.

Their only slip up was the 2-2 draw at Stoke City earlier this month.

Southampton lost their previous game at St Mary’s and will be desperate to put on a show for their home fans.

But Lawrenson expects United to see them off with ease.

He told the BBC: “Quietly and - in terms of the number of goals they have scored - unspectacularly, Southampton are doing alright, with two wins and two draws from their first five games.

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 22/09/2017 00:07:12

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| (Image) Here’s How Manchester United Might Line Up Against Southampton In The PL – SoccerSoulsSOCCERSOULS |
| | Southampton vs Manchester United: Potential XI with Nemanja Matic and Marouane FellainiTHEPEOPLESPERSON |
| | Saints Have Virtually Full Squad To Pick From For United Visit - Southampton NewsTHEUGLYINSIDE |

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Klopp under real pressure at Liverpool; Saints face Man United goal train

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John Brewin previews the weekend’s action and highlights five key storylines to watch in Premier League W2W4.

Klopp, Liverpool in need of win at Leicester

Jurgen Klopp is in the most vulnerable position yet of his tenure at Liverpool. September so far has failed to bring a single victory, and on Tuesday, Liverpool’s 2-0 loss at Leicester was the month’s second defeat. However, exiting the Carabao Cup was far less of a problem for Klopp than the repetition of defensive mistakes that have plagued his team in the Premier League.

A similar outcome against the same opponents at the same venue in Saturday evening’s match and the pressure will only be increased. At the King Power, Klopp admitted he was “sick of conceding goals like this,” but as he approaches two years at Anfield, such nausea has been a constant that Liverpool have never been able to shake.

Klopp faces accusations of an inability to organise a defence, and keeping faith in the likes of Alberto Moreno and Dejan Lovren goes against the judgement of many fans. The reputation of Virgil van Dijk, the signing that got away, grows ever more on Merseyside as the players he was supposed to supplant or play alongside make those mistakes.

Liverpool’s current run is beginning to bring back memories of his final season at Borussia Dortmund. Not nearly so dramatic – Dortmund dropped into the Bundesliga relegation zone ahead of the winter break in the 2014-15 season – but Liverpool cannot afford to lag behind the likes of Tottenham, Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs, forging ahead of them in the table.

For now, the pizzazz has gone from the heavy metal showman, and Klopp’s trademark beaming grin no longer shines so bright as when Liverpool are captivating the Kop. Perhaps this is a temporary blip, it might be even be the curse of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose arrival from Arsenal has coincided with his new club’s winless run, but Liverpool badly need to get back on track at Leicester or else the clamours of discontent will keep getting louder.

For Manchester United, the goals are raining down. In their eight matches played so far this season, Jose Mourinho’s team have rattled in 24 strikes, a total that dwarfs the return of their past four campaigns.

By this point in 2013-14 and 2015-16, United had scored 14 goals, and in 2014-15 and 2016-17 they had notched just 13. Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat of Burton Albion reminded that Marcus Rashford, a scorer of two goals, is a striker by calling, though he plays on the wing to serve Romelu Lukaku in the Premier League.

Anthony Martial, who notched one for himself, was even better Wednesday, and United fans are beginning to wonder when Mourinho might throw off the shackles and try an attacking trio of Lukaku, Martial and Rashford together. Southampton have scored in only two matches this season, and hung on a little during last week’s 1-0 victory over scoreless Crystal Palace, but will probably not be the opponent Mourinho tries that trio against. The other end of the pitch, where United have conceded three all season, remains just as important to him, and with Manchester City expected to beat Crystal Palace, he is unlikely to take chances.

Tottenham have not much enjoyed their recent trips to West Ham, winning just once there in the past five seasons. Spurs’ maiden voyage to the London Stadium in May ended in bitter defeat, when a 1-0 loss via a Manuel Lanzini goal all but ended hopes of chasing Chelsea down in last season’s Premier League title race.

On Thursday, West Ham manager Slaven Bilic was highly complimentary of Saturday lunchtime’s opponents. “For me they are the team that plays the most attractive football,” he said, while also warning that “we always put a special kind of performance” against Spurs.

Having lost their previous London derby 2-1 to Chelsea at Wembley and then drawn home matches with Burnley and Swansea, Maurico Pochettino needs to escape East London with victory to stay within touch of United and City. “We will try to stay and be ready to compete, fight and be aggressive,” Tottenham’s boss said on Thursday. “For all the excitement and desire they show to beat us we must show the same.”

Last week’s 6-0 win at Watford touched perfection for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. “I am so happy,” he said. This time, his catchphrase did not drip with sarcasm. With Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus sharing 11 goals between them, as they feast on the sumptuous service provided by David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, Crystal Palace look lambs headed to slaughter at the Etihad.

Roy Hodgson got off to winning ways with Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat of Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup, but City are a proposition from another dimension. Palace are still without a point; their getting one Saturday would register as one of the shocks of the season so far.

Chris Hughton led Newcastle to promotion from the Championship in 2009-10, just as Rafa Benitez did last season. Like Benitez, Hughton was celebrated as an adopted Geordie on Tyneside. Until Benitez arrived at St James’, Hughton, sacked by owner Mike Ashley six months after achieving promotion, was the last manager that Newcastle fans approved of, by contrast to unpopular successors Alan Pardew and Steve McClaren.

Those hardy, committed Toon Army fans who make the 350 mile trip to Brighton for Sunday’s sole Premier League match will no doubt hail a Londoner still in their hearts.

John Brewin is a staff writer for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter @JohnBrewinESPN.

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Press conference (part two): Pellegrino pre-United

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Virgil van Dijk: Southampton skipper told he must fight for starting spot by Pellegrino

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Virgil van Dijk failed to push a move to Liverpool through this summer

The defender handed in a transfer request this summer in a desperate attempt to force a move to Liverpool but Saints refused to let him leave.

The £70m rated Dutchman returned to Premier League action for the first time since the saga by making a late cameo in last weekend’s win at Crystal Palace.

But van Dijk is likely to find himself back on the bench when Manchester United visit St Mary’s tomorrow, despite boss Mauricio Pellegrino admitting the 26-year-old needs games.

Pellegrino said: “We will decide if he plays tomorrow but every single week for Virgil is important because he is getting better after a long period of time without playing a game.

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Steve Nicol slams Liverpool bosses: They lack common sense over Virgil van Dijk

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Jurgen Klopp’s side have been hampered by slack defending in the opening weeks of the season.

Van Dijk is likely to remain on Liverpool’s radar when the transfer window reopens.

But Nicol believes they need to identify a plan B in the likely event that the Dutchman proves difficult to sign.

“That would be the rational, common sense thing to think,” he said on ESPN FC.

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 22/09/2017 06:08:52

| | Southampton vs Manchester United – betting tips and predictionsADIFFERENTLEAGUE |
| | Southampton may call Virgil van Dijk to stop Red tideIRISHEXAMINER |
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| Lemina To Start – Strongest 4-2-3-1 Southampton Line-Up To Face Manchester United In PL – SoccerSoulsSOCCERSOULS |

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 22/09/2017 07:27:59

| | Manchester United news and transfer rumours LIVEMANEVNEWS |

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#SaintsFC is pleased to welcome Brickhill Capital as its Official Asian Trading Partner! Find out more: http://sfcne.ws/SFCBrickhill

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 22/09/2017 08:28:11

| | Rashford and Bailly Start, 4-2-3-1: Man Utd’s Strongest Possible XI to Face SouthamptonTHEFAITHFUL |
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| Paul Ince predicts Man Utd’s result vs SouthamptonMANCHESTERUNITEDBLOG |

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Saints can draw conclusions from United challenge

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Saints will be able to judge where they are this season once they have gone head-to-head with Manchester United, according to Mauricio Pellegrino.

The Saints manager is relishing taking on what he one of the biggest clubs in the world when Jose Mourinho’s men roll into St Mary’s tomorrow.

After a mixed start to the campaign Pellegrino is keen to see his team up against one of the Premier League’s big guns and believes how they fare will be a significant marker.

He said: “It’s a nice opportunity. I see it as a huge opportunity for us.

“We will realise how we are against a top team and top quality players.

“I see this as a nice opportunity for us to show ourselves, show where we are and when we play against the biggest teams in the world to draw a conclusion about how we are.

“It’s a good challenge and we have to strive for this.”

He added: “We don’t know what will happen but I see this game as a nice opportunity to show ourselves how we are and to come against them.

“In team sports you have something really nice and you can win against everybody. You can lose to a team from the second, third or fourth division if you are not ready 100 per cent.

“We have to show our football, to push the game in the way we think will be better than them.

“I think we have got our chance and it’s a big challenge, a huge challenge, but we have to strive for this.”

Pellegrino is set to make a late call on whether Virgil van Dijk is ready to start his first game since January.

The Dutch defender was a late sub at Crystal Palace last weekend and put in another appearance for the under-23s on Monday having been out since the start of the year through a combination of injury and his transfer request.

It would be a big call to throw van Dijk back in to mark Romelu Lukaku, and though Pellegrino hinted at caution he admitted he hadn’t completely made up his mind yet.

He said: “We will decide, but every single week Virgil is important because he is getting better.

“After a long period of time without playing a game now he is training well, and it’s good news for us because we need Virgil like every single player in our squad.

“Virgil is an important player for us.

“I think every single week he will improve, but at the same time he needs to play, he needs to train.

“The best training session for me is to play games. Now he is playing in the reserves and 15 minutes is something and he is training well.”

Matt Targett is the only injury doubt for the United game after picking up a minor ankle knock.

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Pellegrino: Two strikers is not the answer

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Mauricio Pellegrino does not believe that playing two strikers is the answer to Saints’ home goalscoring woes.

Saints have scored in just one of their last nine games at St Mary’s going into the visit of high flying Manchester United tomorrow.

With Manolo Gabbiadini, Charlie Austin and Shane Long vying for the striker’s role, some have suggested that Pellegrino could change system and play two up top.

However, the manager gave an impassioned reasoning as to why it is unlikely to happen.

He said: “It depends on the players, but if you see the majority of teams, why do the biggest and the best teams in the world play with one striker? Everybody is wrong, or not?

“For me it is not to put people in front, but to arrive with people in the box. It’s completely different the concept.

“Obviously, if you put people there (strikers) you will be strong in one moment, but the fight in modern football for me is to control the game, and you can control the game when you put people in the middle, more defenders, the winger, even the second striker. This is the key for me for 90 per cent of the games.

“Sometimes you have to play with three centre backs, sometimes with two strikers, and we did this in the past with Charlie, Shane, Manolo in some games, and we will keep going because you never know what will happen in the game.

“To score goals, my belief, it’s not the truth, it’s my belief, it’s not just to put in strikers.”

When asked whether simply calling for more strikers was too simplistic a way of looking at the problem, Pellegrino replied: “When you think about the manager do you think the manager will leave someone on the bench to not score goals. ‘I will leave a striker there because I don’t want to score goals’. This is not true.

“I try to put out my best team. The manager is the only person who wins, draws and loses every game, and I try to put the best. I make mistakes because it’s my point of view, but I make the best for Southampton. Not one player. I have to think about everybody, and the club, not just one player or the system “I choose 11 players because I think they will be the better player, best prepared to win the game.”

Saints’ three goals against West Ham was the blip in their recent home drought, but Pellegrino is hoping for better.

“You never know which is the recipe to score more goals,” he admitted. “Sometimes I will repeat that my job is to try to create an offensive connection to create chances and to be fair the other day I think we create chances and deserve to win the game.

“The majority of the game we were close to the goal with a lot of players inside the box and we are trying more and more.

“If I start with two strikers it doesn’t mean we score more goals.

“You can receive more crosses for example but you can be weaker in wide areas because you have just one player.

“In the Premier League between eighth and 17th there was six points and not too many goals between them and we were in this group.

“I see every game as an opportunity to improve this number.”

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#OnThisDay in 2012, #SaintsFC thumped #AVFC at St Mary’s to record their first #PL victory of the season:

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 22/09/2017 09:28:19

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| Southampton boost: Virgil van Dyk might start for the SaintsFANSIDEDTHETOPFLIGHT |
| | Liverpool woes to let Arsenal seal transfer of Van Dijk? | Just Arsenal NewsJUSTARSENALNEWS |

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DEFAULTVideo: On this day in 2012: Southampton 4-1 Aston Villa

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“Football is a beautiful thing. In team sport you can beat the best in the world.”

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 22/09/2017 10:28:42

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| Inside Info: Manchester United look like title contenders but what do their fans think?SBNATIONSTMARYSMUSINGS |
| | 0 goals in 9 of Southampton’s last 13 PL Games; Pellegrino has a conundrum to solveFOOTBALLFANCAST |
| | Southampton Vs Manchester United Preview | Stats, Key Men & Team NewsEPLINDEX |
| | Southampton vs. Manchester United: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV InfoBLEACHERREPORT |

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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton

New content from (- The Ugly Inside News for Southampton)

| The Ugly Inside TV ! Saints V Manchester United Predicted XI | Freddie gives his opinions of who will start the game against Manchester Unexcited on Saturday at St Mary’s. 22-09-2017 |
| Are United As Potent As Goals For Column Suggests ? | With 16 goals scored in their opening 5 Premier League fixtures Manchester United have scored twice as many goals as … 22-09-2017 |

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| Saints Have Virtually Full Squad To Pick From For United Visita day ago |
| The Ugly Inside TV ! Opposition View With United Peoples TVa day ago |
| Pellegrino Says Van Dijk Could Start Against Uniteda day ago |
| The Ugly Inside TV ! Saints V Manchester United Previewa day ago |
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| Van Dijk Pledges To Give His All For Saints !2 days ago |
| Ex Saints Managers Are In Demand2 days ago |
| Should Virgil Van Dijk Start Against Manchester United3 days ago |
| Van Dijk Scores As Saints U23’s Beat Stoke City4 days ago |

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Saints announce Brickhill Capital partnership

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The global foreign exchange provider has agreed a two-year deal with the club, with Saints players Mario Lemina, Manolo Gabbiadini, Matt Targett and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg joining Brickhill Capital CEO Guoxian Chen at Staplewood Campus for the launch of the partnership.

Brickhill Capital brings extensive knowledge and expertise on foreign exchange dealings in Asia, and will support the club as it expands its footprint in the region, while the partnership will also provide the company with significant international exposure.

Southampton Football Club’s Commercial Director David Thomas said: “We are extremely pleased to have entered into this partnership with Brickhill Capital.

“Like ourselves, they have a strong reputation for innovation and for developing talent, and they share our ambition of achieving success on a global level.

“We look forward to developing this partnership over the next two years and working with Brickhill Capital as we continue to expand our fanbase in Asia and explore new commercial opportunities across the region.”

Brickhill Capital Limited’s CEO, Guoxian Chen, commented: “We are exceptionally proud to partner with such a well-respected and world-renowned club with a significant and growing fan base in Asia.

“Our partnership with Southampton Football Club is our first-ever sporting partnership and it demonstrates our commitment to expanding our footprint globally. The club has a great reputation for having solid and stable structure, and this is what we value and focus on at Brickhill Capital.

“We are dedicated to helping clients succeed by establishing a strong foundation with our unparalleled support and services as we work towards achieving success together.”

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