After Rodrigo Moreno headed home his second of the game for Leeds against Southampton, things looked very bleak for Ralph Hasenhüttl’s men. Having suffered a 4-1 opening day defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton were 2-0 down after 62 minutes against Jesse Marsch’s Leeds side; a team that lost their two best players in the summer.
In the build up to the game, the club held a midweek fan forum in which Chief Executive Martin Semmens alienated fans somewhat with his comments criticising the way that the Southampton faithful voice their frustrations following their side going behind in games. He claimed that “if the fans aren’t ‘in it’, the players aren’t ‘in it’. Needless to say, suggesting that paying fans vocalising their frustrations with a side on a run of one win in 14 games is the reason that the players aren’t up for the fight is questionable at best. And when Rodrigo’s second strike of the afternoon beat Gavin Bazunu in goal, the fans had every right to vent their anger. However, the positive is that the players showed that they were in fact up for the fight, mounting a comeback to secure a home draw in a week where there were also reports of discontent in the dressing room regarding Hasenhüttl’s methods.
Hasenhüttl seems to have reached a point at which he almost completely divides the fanbase in two. There are an increasing number of fans who would categorise themselves as being members of the ‘Ralph out brigade’, but there is still a lot of support for the Austrian despite the poor run of form that has continued from last season. It is generally accepted amongst the fanbase that Hasenhüttl has been hamstrung by the lack of investment during his tenure, as well as the club’s tendency to sell its most valuable assets. He has kept a relatively poor Southampton squad in the top flight and has had some very positive moments along the way, but he has also overseen some dismal runs and his stubbornness has often been his downfall. Having said that, despite spending a summer trying to implement a new 352 system, after going 2-0 down on Saturday Hasenhüttl reverted to the 4222 formation his players know so well. This decision was the difference between no points and a comeback to secure their first point of the campaign; a comeback which could kickstart a turn in fortunes.
Southampton made four changes to their team against Leeds from the 11 that started the defeat away at Spurs the previous weekend, suggesting – understandably – that Hasenhüttl was not happy with what he saw from his side in north London. Armel Bella-Kotchap, Stuart Armstrong, Moi Elyounoussi, and Che Adams came in, with Yan Valery, Oriol Romeu, Adam Armstrong, and Joe Aribo making way. Leeds were the better side in the first half, with Southampton still struggling in their new shape, but the two sides went in goalless at half-time. Just a minute after the break though, Leeds took the lead. Rodrigo ghosted in on Jan Bednarek’s blindside to prod the ball in at the near post, the second goal in as many games that has at least in part come as a result of Bednarek’s lack of awareness. When Rodrigo scored a simple header following a near post flick-on from a corner, Hasenhüttl sprung into action.
Moi Elyounoussi was immediately replaced by Adam Armstrong and Stuart Armstrong by Joe Aribo; a player who had been unlucky to drop out of the starting line-up. Eight minutes later caution really was thrown to the wind and Bednarek was replaced by young striker Sékou Mara who was making his Premier League debut. Following a lengthy conversation between Hasenhüttl and his coaching staff, the 352 mid-block had been tossed aside and it was back to the 4222 gegenpress.
With nothing to lose, Southampton had three strikers on the pitch and a right-footed winger at left-back. Adam Armstrong was the forward chosen to operate a little deeper than he is used to, occupying the left attacking midfield position, whilst Moussa Djenepo took up the left-back spot, having already seen his role change from winger to left wing-back in recent weeks. The improvement was instant. The Southampton players looked like a team who now understood exactly how to carry out their manager’s instructions and they halved the deficit two minutes after the change of shape. The attack started with Djenepo playing a pass up the line to Armstrong, who beat his man and played a one-two with Che Adams before squaring the ball to Aribo who showed great composure to steady himself before rounding Illan Meslier in goal and slotting past two Leeds defenders.
Buoyed by the crowd, Southampton pushed on. They were hounding every ball and they had their opponents rattled. This approach when executed well is a sight to behold. The pitch suddenly feels incredibly small to the opposition player in possession and the opportunities to steal back possession are great for the team operating the gegenpress. The best part of all of this is that it builds an electrifying atmosphere, as the crowd reacts raucously to every tackle or pressure. English football fans in particular always respond positively to their players showing 100% commitment to retrieving possession of the ball – a big tackle or a striker sprinting towards a keeper and forcing them to boot the ball into touch can be enough to turn an atmosphere on its head in seconds.
In the 81st minute, nine minutes after scoring their first, Southampton were level. 20-year-old Sékou Mara picked up the ball centrally about 30 yards from goal, beat his man, and played an eye of the needle reverse pass through to Kyle Walker-Peters whose strike nestled into the far corner. What made this all the more remarkable was that the through ball was a no-look pass from the debutant. A no-look assist on your Premier League debut is as audacious as it is brilliant. With confidence flowing through his veins, the new recruit tried his luck from 20 yards moments later and forced Meslier into a fine save.
Mara’s 20 minute cameo will have delighted Southampton fans who have been concerned about the striking options at the club following the return of Armando Broja to Chelsea at the end of his loan and reports last week linking Adams with a move away. Whilst Mara may not be the answer in isolation – Southampton are still pursuing another striker in the market – he has shown that he has the potential to be a very exciting player for the south coast club. Mara came through at Bordeaux and made 36 first team appearances across the past two seasons, but due to the French club’s financial problems, Southampton were able to swoop for the France U21 international. The £9 million fee received for the transfer, when other clubs were looking to capitalise on Bordeaux’s situation and get Mara for free, could go a long way to helping the French club out of difficulty.
One thing that makes Saturday’s perfectly weighted assist all the more impressive is that the youngster did not register a single assist last season and only had one to his name prior to this. And whilst his six goals in 26 matches last season did not set the world alight, when considering that he only started eight matches, this haul becomes far more respectable. He also outperformed his xG by 1.5 goals last season and averaged 0.6 goals per 90 minutes; putting him in the 85th percentile when compared with other strikers from Europe’s top five leagues. For the past year he is in the top 27% of strikers for shot-creating actions per 90 minutes; averaging 2.62 per game and to add to this, he is a pacy dribbler who could also play from the wide areas, having been in the top 20% of strikers for dribbles completed per 90.
Mara has the tools to benefit from a switch back to the high-pressing, high-energy, 4222 rather than the slightly more passive 352 formation. He ranks in the top 4% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues for pressures per 90, averaging 22.8 per game, and is in the top 18% for tackles per game. The prospect of Mara and Adams up front is one that will give many a defender a real headache as both are pressing machines. What they may lack in goals they certainly make up for in effort and, as alluded to earlier, sometimes that’s enough to get fans on your side.
Hasenhüttl admitted post-game that he will now be pondering whether it is best to revert to the 4222 for the trip to Leicester City on Saturday. The scars from the 9-0 defeat to Leicester three seasons ago remain, but given their leaky defence, attack might be the best form of defence for the Saints. Mohammed Salisu and Armel Bella-Kotchap looked much more assured in a back four and give Southampton real pace and athleticism in the heart of the defence. They are aggressive defenders who are likely to give fouls away at times but defend on the front foot and can impose themselves on strikers. Djenepo adapted well to play as a left-back in a back four for the last 20 minutes last time out, but it could be a risk to play such an attack-minded player in that role from the off…
As he did following the defeat to Tottenham, Hasenhüttl has some real decisions to make prior to the game at the King Power stadium. But after coming back from the dead against Leeds, there is a more positive feeling around the club, even if Hasenhüttl still divides the fanbase. Win at Leicester and suddenly things would look a little rosier on the south-coast.
