Southampton have now succumbed to 3 defeats in their last 4 games including losing the last 2 at St Mary’s. As it stands that’s 4 home defeats this campaign, already surpassing the 11/12 Championship total whereby Saints lost just 3 home league matches all season.
On the back of a 25 game unbeaten run Saints are hitting a spell of poor form at a really unfortunate time of the season. The start of that run was built on being hard to beat, grinding out narrow wins whereas now Southampton look unable to win unless they’re firing on all cylinders.
Taking a look at the start of the unbeaten sequence, the first 13 games Southampton secured victory 5 times by a single goal margin and drew on 5 occasions. In contrast the final 12 games of the run saw just 2 single goal wins (QPR & Plymouth) and 2 draws. The other 8 games in the waning days of the sequence saw Southampton blow teams away. Thrice winning 4-0 and impressively battering Swansea 5-0 on Boxing Day.
As the run went on Southampton became a winning machine, ruthlessly dispatching any teams they faced. In doing so did they lose some nous, some resilience perhaps? Have they lost the ability to win/compete ugly?
The use of ugly is not to suggest Saints should adopt a totally different approach but certainly the finer details need to be right, from both players on the pitch and the management.
The premise behind Martin’s intense fixation on plan A is that if plan A is executed correctly there shouldn’t need to be a plan B. He’s not wrong. Southampton seldom changed shape or structure during the unbeaten run with personnel changes rather than tactical shifts.
Recently there’s been an element of square peg/round hole with team selection. Downes recurring absence has resulted in no natural no. 6 this despite having Charles available, who most fans would associate with this role. Furthermore against Millwalll, Stephens/THB filled in as an auxiliary full back at differing points in the match, causing KWP to be shifted from his preferred position.
Unfortunately these selections are somewhat reminiscent of team choices during the subpar September in which a midfield of Smallbone, Aribo & Adam Armstrong took to the field against Ipswich meanwhile a centre back pairing of Charles & THB started that same match having also done so a few days earlier against Leicester.
With regard to finer details on the pitch, Southampton are generating chances however these are just not being taken as the moment. Without singling out one player too much, at 0-0 against Hull Rothwell spurned an excellent opportunity while 1v1 with the keeper before again wasting an effort Saturday as his shot from Armstrong’s lay off tamely went into the hands of the keeper. When you consider the Bournemouth loanee scored a piledriver earlier in February it’s surprising these two opportunities passed him by.
It’s not just Rothwell though. Adam Armstrong hasn’t scored in open play since Rotherham (A) start of the month. The previously prolific striker struggling at the moment.
Having gone from being a ruthless machine to struggling to get the cylinders running Saints seemingly just need a win by any means. We’ve all enjoyed the fluidity of the football recently but there’s something to be said for a result like those at Stoke or QPR. Set piece goals taking all three points in a tight nervy encounter. A result to remind the fans and more importantly the players that they’re still able to win ugly.
Wouldn’t it be lovely to beat Liverpool with a last minute Stu Armstrong free kick!
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