Oxford United began life without Gary Rowett with an impressive display and valuable three points against Southampton.
The U’s took the lead twice at Grenoble Road with the winner coming late on.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Read More: Team News, Form and Predicted Line-Up as Oxford United Welcome Southampton
Oxford United Win Against Southampton
Line-Up and Formation
It was interesting to see how caretaker coach Craig Short would set his side up following the departure of Gary Rowett.
The back three was dropped, maybe due to the fact that Ben Davies had picked up an injury or maybe because the U’s had failed to win in their last three games with that formation.
The back four was pretty self explanatory but there was a shakeup in midfield with Brian De Keersmaecker sat deeper on his own and Tyler Goodrham and Luke Harris ahead of the Belgian.
Przemyslaw Placheta and Stan Mills were the wingers while Nik Prelec led the line. There was also a return to the bench for seemingly out of favour winger, Siriki Dembele.
And for the most part, the wingers played a pivotal role in the game as opposed to the wing backs in the previous fixtures. In particular Stan Mills, who many fans have been calling for, created several chances and took his 89th-minute winner with style and composure.
Attacking Intent
Where Rowett’s side often setup and played in a pragmatic style, it was good to see Short’s Yellows playing with an attacking intent throughout.
The U’s took the lead when Tyler Goodrham fired home a half volley after a free kick was cleared but conceded shortly after. Despite that, they continued to press and search for the second goal while under Rowett, they could have retreated deeper and invited unnecessary pressure.
Oxford had several chances in the game and, while they had to wait until the 89th-minute to score again, they will be pleased with the display in the final third.
Possession Doesn’t Mean Anything
In the majority of games this season, Oxford have struggled when it comes to possession but having more of the ball doesn’t necessarily result in three points.
The U’s ended the game with just 29 per cent of the ball but the all important statistic was the scoreline and result.
And it was a similar story in their most recent victory over Ipswich when Oxford had just 24 per cent of the ball.
Ultimately, taking chances and putting the ball in the net is the important task and the U’s do tend to play better against teams that enjoy large spells on the ball.
Featured image courtesy of IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
