Days ago, I discussed my qualms with Southampton’s less than stellar structure; their woeful behaviour on the pitch dramatically worsened during their somewhat embarrassing defeat against Everton. On home soil, no less, the crutched Ronald Koeman and his men suffered a crushing 3-0 blow, with Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley adding the cherry atop the disastrously dry cake, if you will.
The Toffees and the Saints were, however, evenly matched in places, but somewhere betwixt the cunning tenacity of Lukaku and Barkley, and Maarten Stekelenburg’s butter fingers, Southampton lost grip on the game, and their position as a team of great calibre. So, I ponder precisely what their demise was yesterday; was it, for the second consecutive week, a defensive issue, with Maya Yoshida and co failing to mop up? Was it, rather, that the growing might of the Graziano Pellè-Sadio Mané partnership was not collected enough? Or, perhaps, could I posit that the Premier League is too rich for Stekelenburg?
Structurally Sound Southampton: A Team Riddled with Errors
In which places were Koeman’s men the weakest?
My initial thoughts whilst trawling through the hideous highlights (as a Southampton supporter, that is) were ones of awe; if a team can swindle three goals on foreign turf, without so much as breaking a sweat, how fierce will Everton really be once they secure some deals as the transfer window closes? Despite the fixture being held at St. Mary’s, the limelight was, rightfully, upon the murky khaki of the Everton bodies.
The game began in fairly good spirits; Saints were buoyant and rejuvenated, with Pellè and Mané looking set to bring terror to the faces of Everton fans. Despite the energy with Southampton early on, their efforts remained unrewarded after attempts. The first of three sensational goals from Everton derived from an extremely animated Romelu Lukaku; the strike was unbeatably strong, seeing Stekelenburg outsmarted too soon in the first half. Uproar from both hoards of fans, and the game was beginning to mould itself unfavourably for Southampton. Not even the old fashioned home advantage aided their fortune.
Ross Barkley dared to enter the goal mouth with another swing on target, but didn’t quite sink it; this was worthy of a sigh of relief for Southampton, but their period of respite didn’t last. It is here that I would begin to query just how watertight the defending was surrounding Stekelenburg’s box; one shot was netted in sublime fashion, one didn’t quite succeed, but was almost accurate enough. The back line was unaltered following last week’s frustrating, but oh so exciting, 2-2 draw with Newcastle; one might have been inclined to shake things up, to test the structure? Anyway, Matt Targett, Maya Yoshida, José Fonte and Cédric Soares assembled ahead of Stekelenburg, and flaunted the same issues as the week prior.
Despite minor ripples from Yoshida, though, when against Lukaku, Everton ploughed through Southampton’s defence once more; Lukaku’s second goal of two sprang in the 45th minute, right before somewhat mixed half-time motions were called. The fact that Yoshida was poised at the halfway line, whilst the error began to evolve into a back-of-the-net situation, is another problem; Victor Wanyama and Steven Davis should have been mobile enough to have grappled with Everton, to claw back possession, rather than allowing Lukaku to eventually steamroll through the Saints defence.
The second half was equally dubious, seeing Stekelenburg concede his fifth goal in two Premier League games. This is rather troubling; last August, Southampton were blazing through their matches, giving merry hell to many an opponent, enlightening both fans and viewers. They might have been the underdogs then, but this is simply bottom of the pile play from these chaps.
The second batch of 45 saw Pellè hit another failed strike. For this reason, it becomes additionally clear that Southampton have a problem with following through in the opposing half; if the shots had been more clinical, with a tad more perseverance, both Pellè and Mané could have been cleared for celebrations on more than one occasion each. This failure to fully launch up the field and be dogged enough to whack the ball firmly into the back of the net is costing Saints hugely. The lack of refined finesse was a shame, but credit must also be handed (pardon the pun) to Everton’s Tim Howard; the keeper was composed for the majority of the match, disallowing Southampton any real chances to waltz around the pitch with any sort of positivity. This was certainly commendable, especially on unfamiliar soil.
In the 84th minute, Ross Barkley sealed the victory for Roberto Martinez’s squad. The strike was weighty and strong, leaving Southampton’s defence, once more, in tatters, mouths wide open. Everton really were far supreme.
To summarise, the crux of the issue with Southampton was basically every layer of position on that pitch; shoddy defending was prevalent again, whilst their ability upfront was entirely questionable. I was glad to see Graziano Pellè and Sadio Mané full of vitality, with bounding dynamism, but neither could truly pull off what they attempted; that is a concern. However, I do reckon they’ll both get there.
Southampton were not tight enough against Everton, or Newcastle, for that matter; nor were they much of a challenge toward any player on the pitch. The situation at St. Mary’s, therefore, remains in a bit of trouble. This hot water should pass with the right nurturing, but the team must get their act together ahead of their fixture against Watford next Sunday.
I’ll be closely monitoring both the attack and defence next week, along with Maarten Stekelenburg’s position in goal.
