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Jose: Mkhitaryan & Carrick out of final
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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho expects Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Michael Carrick to miss the EFL Cup final after picking up injuries in their 1-0 Europa League win at St Etienne.
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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton
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Super computer predicts the final Prem table: Will Leicester survive? Who makes top four?
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THERE are 13 games to go in the Premier League - but how will the table finish?
The stats geeks over at Football Web Pages use a super computer algorithm based on previous goals and results to work out the percentage likelihood of each result for the rest of the season.
Using these results, their predicted table makes for fascinating viewing. So who will make the top four? Will champions Leicester dodge the drop?
CLICK THROUGH THE GALLERY ABOVE TO FIND OUT.
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Lawrie McMenemy wishes Southampton’s Claude Puel good luck ahead of EFL Cup final
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Southampton legend Lawrie McMenemy has written a good luck letter to boss Claude Puel ahead of Sunday’s EFL Cup final with Manchester United.
McMenemy was Saints manager in the club’s finest hour - the FA Cup final of 1976 when they beat United 1-0, which remains their first and only major trophy.
Three years later he led Southampton out against in the League Cup final of 1979, but they were beaten 3-2 in a thriller by Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest, and Saints are yet to lift that trophy.
McMenemy, now 80, remains a regular at St Mary’s, and he told the Sun: "I have never met Claude but, after they beat Liverpool in the semi-final last month, I wrote him a letter and handed it to the desk the last time I was at St Mary’s and asked if they could pass it on.
"Basically I wished him all the best for the final and said I hoped he would go one better in the League Cup final than we did in 1979, when we lost to Brian Clough’s Forest.
"It’s nearly 40 years since the club were last in the League Cup final and it would be fantastic if they could win it.
“The 1979 final was a thriller with five goals, but you always want to win at Wembley. But it was a time when Cloughie and Forest were winning trophies for fun.”
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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton
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Is Claude Puel the anti-Mourinho? Styles collide in the EFL Cup final
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Jose Mourinho’s fiercest managerial rivalries have tended to be with those who, in one way or another, represent an opposite of him. Pep Guardiola is the purist and the professor, Arsene Wenger the austere idealist and Roberto Mancini the Italian icon. Rafa Benitez spoke with robotic repetitiveness. Claudio Ranieri seemed a happy-go-lucky nearly man.
None of those descriptions apply to the Manchester United manager. But if his enemies are often his antithesis, Mourinho faces another who qualifies for that category on Sunday. Like Manuel Pellegrini, one of the many predecessors or successors with whom Mourinho has feuded, Claude Puel projects an unremitting greyness.
Puel seems the anti-Mourinho. The EFL Cup final managers can both feel like showstoppers, but for very different reasons. Mourinho, even the slightly toned-down boss at Old Trafford, is eminently charismatic and invariably quotable, mixing forthright opinion and instructive insight with mischief-making and barely concealed jibes. If Mourinho can’t stop saying interesting things, it seems as though Puel can’t start. Not in English, anyway.
The French boss likened Nathan Redmond to Thierry Henry, another winger he converted to a striker, in the summer. It generated plenty of attention. Puel appeared to resolve not to make the same mistake again. His subsequent utterances have been eminently forgettable.
The presumption is that Puel possesses hidden depths; he has kept them well hidden during his time at Southampton and deterred many from searching for them. Much more is known of Mourinho, but he retains his capacity to intrigue. Mourinho’s delivery is not always as razor sharp as it was during his first spell at Chelsea, but he still has a magnetism to him. Puel seems to be a charisma vacuum. Perhaps he prefers the persona of the quiet man.
A dozen years ago, Mourinho was in the position that Puel is now, a foreigner managing in England for the first time. They approached it in different ways, one commanding centre stage and the other blending into the background.
The outsider-turned-establishment figure, Mourinho appears to identify more with Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis than Puel these days. As a former player of Wenger’s during his Monaco days, Puel is scarcely a natural ally, either.
Perhaps Mourinho had Puel in mind when, after beating Watford, he complained this was the most defensive Premier League ever and attributed it to an influx of foreign managers. United are only the division’s seventh-highest scorers, but Mourinho is trying to bracket himself with the adventurers. Puel, too, feels his side’s attacking efforts are not reflected in their goal tally. But a few weeks ago, Southampton were the second lowest scorers. The sense is his ideal scenario was the second leg of the EFL Cup semifinal, when Southampton did not need to score and defended brilliantly in a 1-0 win at Anfield. Albeit in a different situation, that gameplan may be replicated at Wembley.
Mourinho is mounting a four-pronged challenge, whereas Southampton’s season may end on Sunday. Mourinho admitted he “threw away” the FA Cup in 2005 – his first season in England – but has fielded stronger sides thereafter. Puel tossed Southampton’s chances away this year with the makeshift side he named to face Arsenal; they lost 5-0.
The budgets and ambitions of their respective employers are very different. So are the circumstances. Mourinho is seen as an upgrade on United’s two previous managers, the ill-fated duo of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal. Puel risks looking a downgrade on his upwardly mobile pair of predecessors, Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman. Indeed, one reason why some Southampton fans have not warmed to him is that he seems the opposite of the outspoken, charismatic Koeman.
With his eight top-four finishes in Ligue 1, Puel brings a promise of understated progress. Mourinho offers a likelihood of noisy achievement. Because if Puel has won plaudits, he has not won many prizes. His last honour came in 2000. Mourinho has 23 of varying significance since then.
Yet while a first major piece of silverware to accompany August’s Community Shield could kickstart a trophy-winning sequence for Manchester United, it would not be transformative in itself. Legendary status at Old Trafford is reserved for the two managerial knights, Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson. A first major trophy would be as many as the sacked Van Gaal and Tommy Docherty mustered, half as many as Ron Atkinson and still leave him behind Ernest Mangnall.
It would have an altogether greater effect for Puel. Matt Le Tissier, the man nicknamed “Le God” by Southampton supporters, said in his autobiography that Lawrie McMenemy was “almost a god” among Saints. In one sense, and while McMenemy’s overall feats on the south coast far outweigh those of Southampton’s current boss, winning would put Puel on a par with the only manager to secure major silverware for the club. It would certainly give him a distinction Pochettino and Koeman lacked. He is already Mourinho’s antithesis. He has a huge reward if he proves his nemesis.
Richard Jolly covers the Premier League and Champions League for ESPN FC. Twitter: @RichJolly.
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HE’S nearly 3ft tall, wears a top hat and was witness to one of Southampton’s greatest moments.
Now the lucky Saints mascot has been brought out of retirement as his owner travels thousands of miles across the globe to get him out of the loft and to watch the team at Wembley.
Steve Eastman, an IT director who now lives in Singapore, was only 10 when his grandad bought the dog-shaped mascot from a neighbour - who had previously won it in a raffle at the Maybush pub just after the 1976 Wembley victory.
Since then it’s been languishing in his mum’s loft gathering dust as Steve, 51, and his brother Dan Price, 46, follow their team’s ups and downs from thousands of miles away, only brought out on special occasions - such as the 2003 Cardiff League Cup final, and neighbour Barbara Sandy’s 90th birthday.
Although now living far from his native Maybush, Steve is still a season ticket holder and has travelled to Israel, Milan and Liverpool to watch his team at the top of their game
Now he will be travelling back to the UK just to watch Saints at Wembley - although his brother Dan who lives in Australia can’t make it back for the match.
He said: “My first match was in the mid-seventies at the Dell. The mascot was bought by my grandad for me and my brother Dan and it’s part of the family - my son’s a Southampton supporter as well.”
And although he has offered it to the team to take with them on their bus as they make their way to Wembley for the fourth time - they have politely declined.
As previously reported by the Daily Echo Steve offered to lend the lucky mascot to Saints bosses in 1979 and in 2003 - but the mascot had to put up with just watching from the comfort of his sofa.
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#MarchToWembley: Saints 1-0 Liverpool
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Nathan Redmond’s first-half goal was enough to earn Claude Puel’s side a precious lead at the halfway stage of the tie, ahead of the deciding match at Anfield.
Saints were full value for the win, and they perhaps could even feel they should be heading to Merseyside with a greater advantage, having had by far the better of the opportunities, with Redmond also clipping the underside of the bar in the second half.
Still, as valuable as the win is perhaps the clean sheet that it came with, which owed plenty to the immense performance of Oriol Romeu in midfield and the tenacity of Jordy Clasie, as well as the back line.
In a tie where the away goals rule would come into effect if extra time is required in the second leg, the importance of that aspect of the result should not be underestimated.
EVERY SINGLE PLAYER WORKED HARD FOR IT AND TO COME AWAY WITH THE WIN IS A MASSIVE STEP GOING FORWARD.
WE HAD A CLEAN SHEET AGAINST ONE OF THE BEST OFFENSIVE TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY SO IT’S VERY GOOD. IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT WHAT WE’VE DONE TODAY, NOW WE NEED TO KEEP GOING.
AT THE END OF THE GAME WE HAD A CONVERSATION AND WE’RE ONE GOAL UP, BUT WE KNOW IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR THE SECOND MATCH. IT WAS IMPORTANT TO WIN WITH A CLEAN SHEET AND WE WILL NOW SEE FOR THE RETURN LEG.
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Stat Pack: Southampton vs Manchester United
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Southampton have reached their second League Cup Final, having previously done so in 1979 when they lost 3-2 to Nottingham Forest under the management of Lawrie McMenemy.
This will be Manchester United’s ninth League Cup final appearance; of the previous eight, they have won four and lost four, but three of those four victories have been in their last three finals (2006 v Wigan, 2009 v Spurs and 2010 v Aston Villa).
Only Liverpool (12) have appeared in more League Cup finals than Man Utd (9) and only Arsenal (5) have lost more finals than the Red Devils (4).
Southampton are just the second side in League Cup history to reach the final without conceding a goal – Tottenham Hotspur managed this feat in 1981-82, but lost the final 3-1 to Liverpool.
This is the second time these sides have met in the final of a competition, having met in the 1976 FA Cup Final. Southampton, then a second tier side, defeated United 1-0 thanks to a Bobby Stokes goal; it remains the only time they have won a major English trophy.
Jose Mourinho has reached the League Cup final three times previously (2005, 2007 and 2015), winning the trophy each time with Chelsea. Indeed, he has the best 100% win percentage for a manager in League Cup finals.
Only Brian Clough (4) and Alex Ferguson (4) have won the League Cup more times than Jose Mourinho (3).
Mourinho has never lost an English domestic cup final in his career, also winning the FA Cup in 2007.
Claude Puel has reached a major domestic cup final once before in his managerial career, taking Monaco to the final of the French League Cup in 2001, where they lost 2-1 in extra-time to Lyon.
Southampton will be the third team that Manchester United have played in both an FA Cup and League final, following Aston Villa and Liverpool.
No player has assisted more goals in the League Cup this season than Henrikh Mkhitaryan (3).
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored four goals in the four domestic cup finals he played with Paris St-Germain (excluding Super Cups), netting a brace in the 2015 Coupe de la Ligue final against Bastia, and another brace in the 2016 Coupe de France final against Marseille.
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#MarchToWembley: Redmond vs Liverpool
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How often does your side wear each kit? Some strips barely get used!
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HOW often has your side donned its home, away and third kits this season?
But it turns out that some strips are barely ever worn by teams, with sides generally preferring to wear their home kit whenever possible.
An investigation by the Mirror has revealed how many times each kit has been worn by Premier League sides in all competitions this season.
Click through the gallery above to see the results.
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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC
Wembley experience
Cup final success#SaintsFC’s @FraserForster is ready for our #MarchToWembley: https://grabyo.com/g/v/pBdBsAG3VOM
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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 23/02/2017 13:17:31
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Paul Scholes picks his Manchester United XI for EFL Cup final
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Former Manchester United players Paul Scholes and Michael Owen both want Paul Pogba to start in behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Sunday for the EFL Cup final.
That is after Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s hamstring injury against Saint-Etienne with the match winner coming off after 25 minutes.
Michael Carrick, too, is likely to be out of the Wembley showdown against Southampton and came off at the break with a calf problem.
The former Red Devils stars outlined their preferred XI and discussed Jose Mourinho’s options, report the Manchester Evening News.
Mkhitaryan would almost certainly start Sunday’s EFL Cup final against Southampton and the likelihood is Carrick would make the bench if both are passed fit.
In the event the duo are unavailable, Scholes and Owen decided Pogba should be pushed forward into the playmaker role, where he struggled at Liverpool and Chelsea in October.
The pair also agreed Marouane Fellaini should be the second midfielder beside Ander Herrera, who missed the St Etienne second leg due to suspension.
United have settled on a 4-2-3-1 formation since their 3-0 win at Leicester, where they started in a 4-4-2 system before changing shape midway through the first-half.
Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford are two alternatives to start behind Ibrahimovic but Jose Mourinho has struggled to find a specialist right winger, recently relying on Mata’s intelligence and experience in the role.
Jesse Lingard performed poorly there at Blackburn and Ashley Young, who started two successive games for the first time in 13 months in France, is an option.
Herrera and Fellaini were the midfield axis with Pogba behind Ibrahimovic for United’s goalless draw at Anfield and 4-0 thrashing against Chelsea six days later in October.
Pogba has since played either in a midfield duo or trio and Fellaini, who started the season in the United first-team, has made just two league starts since.
Phil Jones is United’s other major injury doubt but Mkhitaryan’s and Carrick’s potential absences could see Wayne Rooney restored to the 18 at Wembley.
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Don’t miss our Wembley supplement
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It’s almost time for Wembley – and the Daily Echo will provide you with everything you need to know ahead of the big game.
It is a jam packed souvenir for all Saints fans gearing themselves up for the League Cup final.
• Claude Puel and Jose Mourinho have their say
• Lawrie McMenemy reflects on 1976, 1979 and looks ahead to the final
• Could this be Claude’s redemption day?
• What Saints need to do to beat United
• Player profiles, League Cup stats and reliving the route to Wembley
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Martin Tyler’s stats and facts: EFL Cup final special
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From how important the first goal is to how the penalty records of both Southampton and Manchester United, Martin Tyler has the best stats ahead of the EFL Cup final on Sunday…
Hit the video to see his latest tricky teaser and send your questions to Martin in one of the following ways…
Use the comments box at the bottom of this page
This is the 57th year of the League Cup and its first as the EFL Cup. It’s the 44th final at Wembley and the 10th at the new Wembley. The first six finals actually had two legs - and that changed with the first final at the old Wembley in 1967 - QPR 3-2 West Brom.
Last season’s final, when Man City beat Liverpool, was the fourth penalty shoot-out in the final after Liverpool v Birmingham (2001), Man Utd v Spurs (2009) and Liverpool v Cardiff (2012)
There have been 23 different winners with Liverpool (8) winning the most. Southampton hope to become the 24th.
Amazingly, there has never been a hat-trick in the League Cup final.
How important will the first goal be in deciding the game on Sunday? (Mitch, Dublin)
MARTIN SAYS: Thanks to our friends at Opta, I can tell you that Southampton really do not want to let their opponents score the opening goal at Wembley this weekend.
And that is because when Man Utd have scored first in a game in any competition this season, they have never lost, winning 89.3 per cent of those matches (25 out 28).
That includes when the two teams met in the Premier League back in August, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s opener helping United to a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.
Southampton, though, have won only 66.6 per cent of the games in which they have netted first this campaign (14 out of 21), losing 23.8 per cent of them (five out 21).
And when Claude Puel’s side have conceded the first goal this season, they have gone on to lose 64 per cent of those encounters (nine out of 14) compared to United’s 54.5 per cent loss record (six out of 11).
How good are Man Utd and Southampton at penalties? (Pat, London)
MARTIN SAYS: Do you mean if the final goes to a shoot-out, or a penalty is awarded during the game? I’ve looked into both.
Man Utd have featured in 16 penalty shoot-outs in their history, winning eight of those, meaning they have just a 50 per cent success rate.
Southampton, though, have taken part in just six shoot-outs over the years, winning four of those at a healthier success rate of 66 per cent.
Of United’s eight shoot-out defeats, one came against the Saints in an FA Cup fourth-round replay at Old Trafford in 1992, three have come in the League Cup and two have come at Wembley.
Southampton’s two penalty shoot-out defeats came against Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup (2001) and Derby County in the play-offs (2007).
Opta have also looked at the two sides’ penalty records since the start of the 2012/13 season.
In that time, Man Utd have taken 39 penalties in all competitions, scoring 29 of those spot kicks (74 per cent conversion rate). Southampton, meanwhile, have been awarded 26 penalties in that time, converting 23 of those (88 per cent).
Of those 10 penalty kicks that United have spurned, record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has failed with three and midfielder Juan Mata one, while the other three guilty players have all now left the club (Robin van Persie, Nani and Javier Hernandez).
The Saints, though, may think twice about letting Dusan Tadic take a penalty at Wembley, with the Serb having been responsible for two of their three misses from the spot in the last five years, with now Liverpool forward Sadio Mane the other wayward player.
Overall, if it goes to penalties, the stats suggest Southampton have a good chance.
Which game has produced more goals, the FA Cup final or the League Cup final? (Mark, Merseyside)
MARTIN SAYS: Since the League Cup final became a one-off game 50 years ago in 1967, both competitions’ finals have coincidentally produced 56 games, including replays.
In those 56 matches, the League Cup has seen 142 goals scored at an average of 2.5 goals per final, while in the same time FA Cup finals have resulted in 137 goals at an average of 2.4 goals per final.
So over the last 50 years, the first domestic cup final of the season has seen more goals scored on average than in FA Cup finals, the highest-scoring of which have produced five goals on six occasions (1967, 1977 second replay, 1979, 1988, 2005 and 2013).
Meanwhile, there have also been four goalless League Cup finals since 1967 (1977, 1978, 1984 and 2009).
How many League Cup-winning managers have been British and how many have come from overseas? (Jimmy, Cardiff)
MARTIN SAYS: Thirty-six different managers have led teams to League Cup glory since the competition’s inception in 1960/61 (see table), including current Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho, who has already won it three times with Chelsea.
And if Claude Puel guides Southampton to victory at Wembley on Sunday, then the Frenchman will become just the seventh foreign coach to lift the trophy, joining the likes of compatriot Gerard Houllier, Manuel Pellegrini, Gianluca Vialli, Juande Ramos and Michael Laudrup.
Not surprisingly, English managers have been the most successful when it comes to getting their hands on this piece of silverware, with 23 different Englishmen leading sides to League Cup glory - although only one of the last 20 trophies was lifted by an Englishman - Steve McClaren (2004). That will obviously become one in 21 this weekend.
The most successful of those was Brian Clough with four wins, making him the joint most-successful manager in the competition’s history alongside Man Utd’s Sir Alex Ferguson.
However, victory this weekend will see Mourinho join those two with four League Cup triumphs to his name, although unlike that duo, he will have done it with two different clubs.
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Who are the 20 Premier League ever-presents this season?
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They are the dependable, the indispensable, the… extremely healthy. They are, of course, the Premier League’s ever-present players. Twenty have started every game for their teams this season, a notable achievement given the demands of the league. Let’s find out their names, clubs, and how many minutes they’ve accumulated so far:
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