For their first of 3 final pre-season fixtures, St Mary’s hosted Southampton vs Lazio on Wednesday evening. For many, this was the first opportunity to see how new summer signings looked on the pitch in the flesh, but also to see the development of the current squad. It was a game which left fans with much to discuss, but here are our 3 key things to take away…
1) Movement
Despite being a highly physical and “unfriendly friendly” the Saints look to have developed fluidity in their movement up the pitch. The dynamics were spot on through midfield and forwards to the front line, with players utilising well-coordinated passing channels and, until interrupted by a tug or kick, looking to be moving the ball with ease and intent. The result of this is positive momentum, which was largely generated through link up play between new signing Ben Brenton-Diaz and Charly Alcaraz who has returned after a loan spell at Juventus. Shea Charles also did well more centrally.
The products of this were reaped quickly with a goal 5 minutes in from BBD. This is something to be excited about for fans of the club, with one of Southampton’s main down-falling’s last season being when play became static, giving the opposition a chance to disrupt play.
2) The new centre-backs
Both Ronnie Edwards and Nathan Wood started today’s fixture and both showcased themselves and their skill-sets well. Edwards in particular stood out, with some quality tackles and interceptions as well as great defensive positioning throughout, however Wood was not to be dismissed coping well with challenges in the air and showing a great willingness to move forwards with the ball. This attacking positivity generated from the back line will be essential for Southampton this season, with McCarthy proving more and more each game his discomfort with the ball at his feet.
3) There is still significant weakness at the back
Despite the CBs shining, McCarthy (as aforementioned) and Ryan Manning both looked wobbly, with silly mistakes and unnecessary decisions being made. These errors of judgement put great pressure on other players which will only cause issues moving forwards if amendments aren’t made. These were the two biggest alarm bells of the performance. Whilst having stability centrally is a step in the right direction, the Saints need to be stronger when defending the wide channels. Highly rated full-back Kyle Walker Peters still remains with the club, but question marks remain over his future – with there already being a distinct weakness down the flanks, his absence would be felt deeply, and thus far it is unclear whether Southampton could replace him within their current squad.
Overall, there was a lot to like about what was seen from Russell Martin’s boys, even though they came off the boil in the second half (just before a coming together resulted in a red card for each side – Alcaraz for the Saints, Romagnoli for Lazio – which killed the final minuted of the game). The passion shown throughout from the players, and the togetherness of this squad is something fans should expect to see in abundance this season, and whilst last night it came out in a poorer light, it may be the biggest advantage this tight-knit team has as they take on the Premier League once again.
Poppy Deabill