Southampton suffered a set back at Sunderland but it need not be a terminal one, but there w ill need to be work done at the back and there needs to be changes, this is the first big test for Russell Martin’s management skills at St Mary’s.
The performance at the Stadium of Light was unacceptable, but in truth a bad day was made worse by a series of defensive blunders, poor organisation, a lack of marking, giving the ball away,you name it we committed it against the Mackems.
Now as Leicester arrive at St Mary’s on Friday night, we have to ensure that this does not mirror the last time they played here on that day of the week.
That doesn’t just mean getting the players themselves right, but making the right selections, dropping Shea Charles was a strange decision last timeout and hopefully it won’t be a mistake Russell Martin will make again.
I wonder if the manager is considering going to a back three, he now has the personnel to play that way and it might suit our style in that it will enable the full backs to get forward with more cover behind them.
This is going to be an entertaining season in terms of goals that is for sure, we have the firepower up front with perhaps the best striking options in the division, but it is the back four that let us down.
So we need to get that right and build from there, after the turmoil of last season and the uncertainty and multiple comings and goings in the transfer window, that isn’t as easy as it seems, we are still not only a young side, but one that i still finding it’s feet playing together, we haven’t gelled yet, even though we won 3 out of the first 4 games and the debacle at Sunderland showed that.
We still lack a true leader of men and that I think is going to be a big issue to overcome, but perhaps one will emerge in the coming weeks.
It’s a big game this weekend, win it and we really throw down the gauntlet, lose it and the knives will be out, but this is a long season, one that has yet to throw up a true outright favourite for automatic promotion, hopefully the quality of our squad and the quantity will give us the edge.