Win this, and silverware will flow for Man United

A shiny piece of silverware is up for grabs this weekend when Southampton — without a trophy in 41 years — tackle mighty Manchester United in a tasty-looking English League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. Ahead of the kick-off on Sunday (11.55pm; Singtel Ch109), TODAY football analyst Adrian Clarke (sports [at] mediacorp.com.sg) picks out four big talking points.

WELL DONE, WAYNE

It takes a strong man to turn your back on £700,000-a-week (S$1.23 million), especially when your manager, club and agent all seem to be pushing you in that direction, so I applaud Wayne Rooney’s decision to reject tempting overtures from the Chinese Super League.

He was being driven towards an exit he did not want, and by choosing his career over cash, the forward has put many of this generation’s materialistic footballers to shame.

Maybe it is written in the stars that Manchester United’s captain will now lift the League Cup above his head tomorrow night?

Rooney’s many critics say his legs have gone and that he is yesterday’s man, but I believe that assessment is too harsh.

He is not the force he once was, but with five Premier League assists (more than anyone else at United), and five goals in all competitions (including that beauty at Stoke City), the England skipper still has stacks to offer between now and the end of the campaign.

Considering 12 team-mates have started more matches than he has in all competitions, I would say Rooney’s contributions have been above, rather than below, par.

United’s record scorer will not outstay his welcome, so a move is still on the cards this summer.

That means it is now or never to add to his Old Trafford trophy haul. If he features, do not be surprised if he is influential.

THE DOMINO EFFECT

United did not hire Jose Mourinho because they liked his mood swings and clashes with authority.

They recruited the 54-year-old mischief-maker because he wins stuff everywhere he goes.

On days like this, it feels like they are in safe hands.

The Special One has four wins from four in English Cup finals, and 10 from 12 on his CV.

If that is not impressive enough, his teams have kept clean sheets in the past five finals he has won. He is not the type to turn up and settle for a good day out. It is all about the winning.

The League Cup is often seen as an afterthought for the big boys, but psychologically it is arguably the most important competition for United.

Win this, and the floodgates could open. It happened for Mourinho at Chelsea in 2005 (when the League Cup was his first success), and when you study his background, every successful period was kick-started by a cup competition victory.

This might be the day that sparks the start of a trophy-laden reign in Manchester.

A PLACE IN SAINTS’ FOLKLORE IS AT STAKE

The League Cup matters more to Southampton, and that extra motivation makes this final interesting.

The only trophy the Saints have ever won was the 1976 FA Cup, and the last time they made it to the League Cup final, they were beaten 3-2 by Nottingham Forest in 1979.

Moments like this do not come around too often for the South Coast side, so they will sweat buckets for the cause.

Their unassuming manager, Claude Puel, knows how monumental a win would be.

He sacrificed an FA Cup run, resting his first team against Arsenal in the fourth round, so that his players would be fresh for this showpiece. The Frenchman is under pressure to ensure that call was worth it.

Becoming only the second manager in the club’s history to win a major trophy is a juicy carrot, so the tactical planning would have been meticulous. Seventeen years on from his last winners’ medal as a manager, it will be a defining evening for Puel.

Should United dare to underestimate them, they will get a rude awakening. Legendary status at Southampton is up for grabs.

ROMEU’S ROLE

Is there a more effective Premier League midfielder receiving less attention than Southampton’s Oriol Romeu? I am not so sure there is.

Nobody in the top flight has won possession in the middle third more often (140 times) than the Spaniard this season, nobody has made a greater number of ball recoveries (212), and only two players have won more tackles (61) — yet he barely gets a mention in passing. With defensive lynchpin Virgil van Dijk crocked and Jose Fonte now at West Ham, the Saints are vulnerable at the back. So the key to success will be stifling the service to United’s gifted front men. They have to stop the ball at the source.

Over two legs in the semi-final against Liverpool, Romeu and his fellow midfielders did an amazing job. Covering every blade of grass to break up play, they laid the foundation for two superb 1-0 wins. At Wembley, they must repeat that off-the-ball brilliance.

PREDICTION:

Manchester United 2 Southampton 1 AET

The Saints have had 15 days to fine-tune their game plan for this Cup final, and that is a handy advantage considering United featured in three extra matches during that period.

Southampton will be fit, well prepared and set up to hurt Mourinho’s men on the break, with lively new striker Manolo Gabbiadini their secret weapon. He has three goals in two starts. My fear for them is that United will not leave anywhere near as many gaps as Arsenal and Liverpool did in previous rounds. Adopting a patient, risk-free approach, they will try to use their experience to wear down Puel’s men.

United have the match winners and the momentum. I am tipping them to edge a close affair.

EPL BIG MATCH PREDICTIONS

Chelsea 3 Swansea City 1 (Saturday, Singtel TV Ch103 & StarHub TV Ch228, 10.55pm)

Paul Clement returns to former club Chelsea in buoyant mood. Having steered the Swans out of the relegation zone, they can take a free swing at the champions elect, which should make for nice, entertaining encounter. Defensively, I doubt they will be able to hold the leaders though. Diego Costa versus Federico Fernandez looks a mismatch.

Tottenham Hotspur 2 Stoke City 1 (Sunday, Ch102 & Ch227, 9.30pm)

A nightmarish Europa League exit to Belgian no-marks Gent has sent Spurs’ confidence tumbling, and they won’t relish a reunion with in-form old boy Peter Crouch, who’s racing around like an 18-year-old rookie. Stoke’s problem is that they haven’t beaten anyone that’s above 12th place, and that’s why I have to oppose them.

Leicester City 0 Liverpool 3 (Tuesday, Ch013 & Ch228, 3.30am)

While I understand the outrage at Claudio Ranieri’s sacking, and feel desperately sad for him, Leicester City needed to make a change. With players not responding to the manager they were hurtling towards the Championship. It was a brutal but perfectly legitimate call from the owners. It may take a week or two for a positive reaction to come.