I’m increasingly becoming concerned that this series I so hopefully entitled ‘Structurally Sound Southampton’ might have jinxed play entirely; Southampton faced an eager and freshly-promoted Watford side during the weekend’s third bout of action. Away on foreign turf at Vicarage Road, the unsteady behaviour Southampton have showcased in the past two weeks was on display again; this has been largely uncomfortable for fans, but was somehow no different against Watford. Instead of seeking to bag as many easy goals to seize a cool three points, Ronald Koeman’s men barely shone, offering minimal tactical ingenuity, and hardly gave Watford any hint of a clouting.
Structurally Sound Southampton: Why All of the Hiccups?
In a generally lacklustre match, despite a few attempts from both sides, Southampton failed to puff their chests against Quique Flores’ squad, seeing the fixture end nil-nil. Both teams suffered a great deal with poor finishing ability; this was not a primary concern within the Saints squad last season, so they ought to raise this now before their current campaign falters further.
Within 25 minutes of scarce excitement, Southampton’s tenure dramatically slumped after Sadio Mané encountered an injury, then to be seated in favour of Shane Long. Perhaps this was the major blow of the game for Southampton; their Senegalese hotshot had been benched, relinquishing their trump card very early on. The only silver lining at this stage was that Shane Long had become something of the new Dušan Tadić in the ways of the skilful link-up with Graziano Pellè. Game-upon-game last season saw the Pellè-Tadić duo set the pitch alight, with muscle, quick feet and fierce finishes; now, that magic has deserted the team, pinpointing holes within the structure, and the overwhelming lack of drive among the red and white stripes.
Shots on target were tallied for Saints, though; for Watford, this exclusivity has not yet been earned. Of these for Koeman’s boys, Pellè had three whopping strikes in the path of Heurelho Gomes, but all of which were rapidly quelled threats. The fact that the Italian couldn’t net the ball on these occasions was simply a shame. These saddening moments seem all too regular for Southampton. Despite the failure here, Shane Long was very present during his time on the field, and was constantly snatching the ball from Watford’s intermittent possession, trying to place a goal.
Meanwhile, Watford were equally desperate to claw a goal, they just weren’t as capable at getting it anywhere near Maarten Stekelenburg’s net, in truth. José Manuel Jurado, Ikechi Anya and Étienne Capoue were the clear leaders among the Watford clan, with more assertion and aspiration during the second half. Despite their regained composure, Watford were still unsuccessful against Southampton. I would argue that this wasn’t due to the great defending of Saints, though. Granted, Stekelenburg was much more reliable in goal, after conceding five in the past two matches, which was a much needed blessing indeed. However, Southampton can’t be praised too rigorously there, when it was Watford’s issues that were more to blame for their scoring problems. The organisation of Southampton, defensively, was much tighter; a more compact trio of Maya Yoshida, José Fonte and Steven Caulker apparently swindled a bit more good faith, but it still could have been much more resolute and rigid.
Instead of Ronald Koeman pitching to his men that they were going to storm Vicarage Lane and take off with a pleasing three points, his orders were merely to keep things steady and make certain that the defence wasn’t as vulnerable. That was, possibly, a grave error, despite Pellè’s clear designs on goal. The loss of Mané to an acquired injury was a severe issue for Saints, too, even though Long was able to burst into spaces and give Pellè more of those sought after chances. Indeed, the defending wasn’t as sloppy as it had been against Newcastle or Everton, but gaps were still made, allowing the niggling Watford seepage.
To say that the 0-0 Southampton vs. Watford fixture was shambolic would be a tad harsh, but, to say that it was a boring game would also be a gross understatement. I have outlined here that Southampton are in a spot of bother, but perhaps confessing that this could simply be ‘hiccups’ might be making light of the situation somewhat. Focus, regrouping, and a peppering of drive are exactly what Saints need again, for I’m just not ready to go back to the rough old days as a sighing supporter.
