Hoddle picks out Man Utd player at fault for Saints’ equaliser
Glenn Hoddle thinks Man Utd goalkeeper David de Gea should’ve kept out Che Adams’ equaliser for Southampton in a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
Profligacy in front of goal has hurt Ralf Rangnick’s Red Devils recently, having failed to capitalise on dominant opening periods in the shock FA Cup exit to Middlesbrough and Tuesday’s trip to rock-bottom Burnley.
Jadon Sancho again put Man Utd ahead at half-time but they were far less assured against Saints, who left with a point after Adams lashed home just days after his winner at Tottenham.
Top four is now a ‘pipe dream’ for ‘toxic’ Man Utd under Rangnick
It appeared like a good finish from Adams but former England international Hoddle thought De Gea should’ve done better.
“It’s a really good finish and I thought to myself he must have curled that round De Gea,” Hoddle said on BT Sport. “Until I saw it again – what De Gea’s going with his feet for, in those circumstances, I do not know.
“He makes a lot of good saves with his feet, De Gea, from reactions, from about the six-yard box if it’s a corner. Why on earth he’s going with his feet for at that angle – I do not understand that as a goalkeeper.
“If he lays down, lays his legs down on the near post and goes across, he saves it.
“I did think at the time, ‘what a good finish, how did he get that round him? But then second time I saw it I thought, ‘that’s the reason why.”
Ché Adams levels it up for the Saints! 👊
Southampton have had some great chances in this game, and they finally score ⚽️
A well-taken finish from the forward 🎯 pic.twitter.com/U1BLs77Vg0
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 12, 2022
Man Utd great Paul Scholes suggested on Saturday that the players did not want to put a shift in for the club – something Rangnick rejected, saying it is more about the group’s mentality.
“I think what Paul Scholes said was only one third of what he said – I think he said three different options,” Rangnick said.
“I don’t think that the players are not willing to do that, because they don’t like to give away points like the ones they gave away today again.
“It was the third game where we were 1-0 up and I don’t think anyone out there should believe that the players don’t care. That they like to experience things like that today consecutively. This is definitely not the case.
“The question is with the group of players we have, how do we get more compact, more aggressive and even more nasty, it’s about defending a lead.
“This is the major issue but it’s not a question of the players not wanting to do that.”