Is Southampton’s style hindering them?
03/10/2024 17:47:13
Southampton were relegated from the Premier League in 2023 after an eleven year stay in the league. They have made an instant return to the division, winning the playoff final versus Leeds back in May. Following their relegation in 2023, Southampton appointed Russell Martin as their manager. Martin achieved his first task, returning Southampton to the Premier League. Southampton have struggled upon their return to the Premier League. Southampton have lost all of their opening 4 games, with only themselves and Everton pointless so far this season. Southampton began the season with a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle, who played a large majority of the game with 10 men, a huge missed opportunity for the Saints. They followed that up with a 0-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest. Their last two games have seen them lose 3-1 away to Brentford and 0-3 at home to Manchester United. Southampton have struggled to put the ball in the net, scoring once in the four games, and have conceded 8 goals. Let’s take a look at Southampton's style of play and what they have to do to stay up.
Southampton’s Style
Russell Martin was heavily praised for his persistence with his style of play in the Championship, playing exciting football but also taking risks playing out from the back. Southampton have been criticised by pundits early on in this season for the risks they are taking, a double standard but an understandable criticism as they are not getting results. Southampton have had 2 problems. They are struggling to get goals and are leaking them, mainly through mistakes in possession. Southampton have only scored one goal this season and that came late versus Brentford when they were already 3-0 down, a mere consolation goal. They have conceded 8 goals in 4 games, which is an average of 2 per game. These two combined do not bode well for them. Southampton’s style of play was very much a breath of fresh air in the Championship last season. Martin’s philosophy has always been built around controlling matches with the ball, and his new charges quickly learned how to wear opponents down through patient possession.
Playing through the thirds, often in moves that included the goalkeeper, they were by far the best passing side in last season’s second tier. Last season they had the most 10+ passing sequences in the Championship with 1,035, with Leicester the next closest on 875. They also had the most shots attempted and goals scored from open play in last season’s Championship.
Southampton’s style of play was very much a breath of fresh air in the Championship last season.
Where is it going wrong?
Southampton were great to watch in the Championship last because of their style of play and ability to score goals. They always stuck to their beliefs, even when they travelled to Anfield in last seasons FA Cup fifth round. They caused a youthful Liverpool trouble with their passing play and pressing but eventually fell to a 3-0 defeat. They are not creating the chances that they were in the championship last season. As mentioned, they attempted the most shots in the Championship last season. This season they place 12th on most shots attempted with 48. Of these 48 shots, they have had 15 on target, which places them 15th for this stat. These means they have put just 31% of their shots on target.
It remains to be seen whether Southampton will have enough to stay in the league this season. They are receiving criticism for their style of play because many believe they are making it too easy for the opposition and could potentially play more compact. They need to find a balance between the two but I certainly would not have any problems with their style of play. They play attacking football which is always enjoyable as a neutral. They now just need to gain confidence in front of goal, like they had last season.
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✒️ Jack Guing – Football and GAA Sports Expert
Jack Guing has a strong knowledge of the sport of GAA through the lens of performance analysis with multiple GAA teams. He holds a master's degree in sports performance. He has a huge love of all things sports, especially golf, soccer and GAA. He uses statistics and performance analysis in order to predict the outcome of matches and events.
