Frustrating Formation Nearly Costs Reds

In their second successive match, Manchester United was forced to stage another necessary comeback, but it could have all been avoided if Sir Alex Ferguson went with a balanced formation.

Darron Shouldn't Be Gibson Another Chance

Disappointingly, some of the Reds, who were initially selected against Southampton, really lacked the desire that was needed for an FA Cup match away from Old Trafford, but, fortunately, two second half goals spared United's blushes as they were eventually able to get through to the next round of the competition.

To be fair, it was not completely the player's fault, and Sir Alex will have to admit that his off-balance formation led to the first-half onslaught by Southampton.

For some reason or another, the Gaffer and his staff thought that they would experiment with the same exact variation of the 4-3-3 formation that was deployed against Blackpool, with three central midfielders and three forwards, and it blew up in their faces - again!

Granted, cup competitions always offer a lower-level team, especially at home, the chance to pull off an upset, but it comes down to United playing down to their competition week in, week out.

Southampton, which is 47 places below United in the English football table, bossed the game in the first 45 minutes, and they could very easily have been two or three goals in front by the end of the half.

Ferguson went with a very attack-minded bench just in case something like this happened, but the United manager was forced to waste one of them on a defender and two of them on midfielders to combat the enthusiasm of Southampton.

Like he was against West Ham United, Fabio was culpable for extending the center-backs with his untimely attacking runs, so Sir Alex had to waste one of his subs by bringing Wes Brown on to shore up the defense.

To be fair, Fabio was only partially to blame, because he had no cover when he went forward, which is why it is not really not surprising that Southampton's goal came from the left-hand side of United's defense.

Jonny Evans showed that he still has a lot to learn from Nemanja Vidic when it comes to giving the ball an old fashioned clearance when under pressure.

Even though the players did not clear their lines, Sir Alex should shoulder some of the blame, because like he did against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, he had no left-sided midfielder in front of Fabio, which meant that there was nobody to provide cover when he went on a run to assist the United attack.

Gabriel Obertan offered nothing in terms of tracking back to cover for Fabio, because he was too far forward.

Even though the young winger is an attacker by nature, he needs to learn how to better manage his runs, because Obertan went either way too quickly or he was way too static and predictable.

Obertan pace and ability to play out-wide allowed him to stay on the pitch, but Nani and Ryan Giggs had to come on for two-thirds of the Ferguson's midfield.

Overran
The defense, which was all over the place at times, was not the only concerning part of United's performance, because the midfield was completely outplayed again, but this time it was by a club in the third tier of English football.

There is no questioning that United has a very powerful squad, but even against a League One side the Reds midfielders, Anderson and Darron Gibson in particular, were continuously put to the sword by more energetic players from Southampton.

There was a moment about in the second half when Gibson gave the ball away twice in a span of a minute, and instead of hustling back the midfielder lallygagged back with a smile on his face as he watched Dan Harding have an half-attempt at the United goal.

Gibson was linked with a move away in the summer to Stoke City, but he claimed he would rather sit on the bench at United than struggle for Premier League survival with the Potters, and that is not the right mentality to have.

Even though he has missed two months with a groin injury, Paul Scholes' performance was not nearly as bad as either Anderson's or Gibson's, however, it is clear that Michael Carrick should first-choice for Sir Alex in the center of United's midfield.

Competition
Javier Hernandez has made another bold statement to Sir Alex that he deserves an honest look to be in his first-choice starting XI.

The young Mexican partnered Michael Owen in the United attack, and both of them took their goals very well, and it will provide pressure on Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney, who were both rested on the bench, for the two front spots in the team.

Southampton were warned twice before Owen popped to head in United's equalizer, but from start to finish Chicharito's goal was class and worthy of winning the match.

After coming on as second half sub, Giggs was given a free, roaming role, and he collected a loose ball and played a very similar, inch-perfect pass that he did for Owen against Manchester City last year to Hernandez.

There was still a lot of work to do once Chicharito received the pass, but he expertly allowed the ball to create the space he needed to get passed his marker, and then he showed the courage and composure to slot the ball home with the goalkeeper charging at him.

In the end, Manchester United rode their luck against Southampton, but some of the Reds showed the determination needed in these types of matches that clubs need to win any title - especially the FA Cup.