When it comes to their team missing chances, Claude Puel and Jose Mourinho could compare hard-luck stories when they share a touchline at the St Mary's Stadium on Wednesday.
Manchester United's failure to finish in the Premier League top four has been largely down to their remarkable inability to put the ball in the net -- especially at Old Trafford -- while Puel is never reluctant to point out Southampton have had more misplaced shots than any other team this season.
As Mourinho plots to bring in Atletico Madrid ace Antoine Griezmann to remedy his team's prolifigacy, what options does Puel have -- assuming he dodges the sack -- this summer to find the magic formula to turn those spurned opportunities into goals?
1. Put his faith in forgotten man Sam Gallagher
The 21-year-old looked like he would be the next big talent to emerge out of Southampton's world-famous youth academy when he burst onto the scene at the back end of the 2014-15 season.
Gallagher followed in the footsteps of England legend Alan Shearer by making his Premier League debut against Arsenal and netted his maiden goal a few weeks later in a win against Norwich.
But Puel's predecessor, Ronald Koeman, never really fancied Gallagher and shipped him out on loan to MK Dons last season.
Gallagher has been out on loan again and was a regular scorer in a struggling Blackburn team.
The 6-foot-4 Gallagher also appears to have worked hard on his physique and upper-body strength and will feel he deserves the chance to prove his worth to Puel.
2. Sign Jermain Defoe
Defoe will be one of the most sought after free transfers of the summer following Sunderland's relegation from the Premier League.
The England man may be in the veteran stage of his career but showed he can still cut it at the top level by almost single-handedly trying to save Sunderland from relegation.
His goals return in a woeful side should be enough to earn him another top-flight club, but Saints would be reluctant to meet his £75,000-a-week pay demands and may also be wary how the signing would be received by their supporters given his Portsmouth connections.
3. Take Kelechi Iheanacho on loan
Southampton are reportedly keen to bring the exciting, if raw, 20-year-old to the south coast on a year's loan.
Iheanacho has impressed playing against Southampton in each of the past two seasons and has all the attributes needed to be a future Premier League star: blistering pace, an eye for goal and the fearlessness of youth.
The move would suit both parties as Southampton would be getting a quality player for a relatively modest loan fee and Manchester City need the Nigerian to get precious game time away from the Etihad where he has Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus blocking his path.
Iheanacho would also fit perfectly into Saints' 4-2-3-1 formation either as an out-and-out striker or in any of the three attacking midfield positions
4. Look abroad
Southampton's revolutionary black box scouting system has unearthed some hidden gems in recent summers.
From Sadio Mane to Manolo Gabbiadini, they have become the masters at finding untapped talent.
Puel obviously has a good knowledge of the French league so it would be no surprise to see him look to Ligue 1; with Nice's Alessane Plea a potential target.
5. Stick with what he has and hire a striker coach
It is not as if Southampton do not have a wealth of high-calibre attackers on their books.
Charlie Austin, Manolo Gabbiadini, Shane Long and Jay Rodriguez have all shown in spurts they can get goals in the Premier League, but they need to do it on a more consistent basis.
Puel's strength as a coach is on the defensive side of the game, so hiring a helping hand to work with his misfiring forwards could be a shrewd move.
Alex Crook is ESPN FC's Southampton blogger. Follow him on Twitter @alex_crook
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