A week is a long time in football. On Sunday, Southampton ended a positive week with a draw against league-leaders Arsenal to relieve some of the pressure on manager Ralph Hasenhüttl. It was a seven day period that saw a win away at Bournemouth sandwiched in-between home draws against West Ham United and Arsenal, with the Saints picking up a very respectable five points from a possible nine.
The draw against West Ham, which saw Southampton have to really dig in to take a point, put an end to a run of four straight defeats. Although not a win, this was crucial for confidence and gave the side a platform to build on for the busy week ahead. What perhaps make the three results more impressive is that Southampton had to play two-and-a-half of these games without one of their best performers of the season so far; with Armel Bella-Kotchap dislocating his collarbone and being forced off in the 42nd minute of the West Ham game.
One man’s bad luck is another’s opportunity and this was very much the case for Duje Ćaleta-Car. The Croatian signed for Southampton on transfer deadline day for an initial fee of just £7.2 million but, due to Bella-Kotchap and Mohammed Salisu’s impressive partnership, had seen his opportunities limited and his arrival fall somewhat under the radar.
Capped 23 times by Croatia, Ćaleta-Car did not make the move to the south coast of England to sit on the bench. Now – due to Bella-Kotchap’s absence – he has his chance to make the position his own. At 26, Ćaleta-Car is, incredibly, Southampton’s most experienced central defender and having made 26 and 33 league appearances respectively in the past two seasons is a centre-back who is used to being an important member of his side.
In making just his second Premier League start away at Bournemouth in a cagey encounter, Ćaleta-Car performed well and kept a clean sheet; Southampton’s first of the season. Against Arsenal, his credentials were to be tested more intensely. It was a test he passed with flying colours.
Due to the injury sustained by Kyle Walker-Peters against Bournemouth coupled with Tino Livramento’s long-term absence due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in April, Hasenhüttl had to be creative when crafting a defensive structure to face Arsenal. He did just this, starting the game in a more familiar 4222 formation with Lyanco at right back but altered this in the second half by playing a hybrid back four/back three with Lyanco acting as a right back cum right centre-back depending on the scenario. In possession, Lyanco did tend to shift more centrally to form a back three alongside Ćaleta-Car and Salisu. This allowed left-back Romain Perraud to get forward as he loves to do and provide the width on the left hand side of Southampton’s attack. This in turn meant that Moi Elyounoussi effectively became a right wingback in a 352 shape, providing the side with better balance. This tactical tweak for the second half gave Southampton more control and allowed them to get a foothold in the game.
When out of possession, Lyanco largely became more of a conventional right back, with his primary role being dealing with the threat of Gabriel Martinelli and trying to prevent running at goal. Without a natural senior right back available to him, Hasenhüttl devised a strategy which sought to ensure that his side were relatively solid defensively against a potent attack which included Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, and Bukayo Saka.
In Ćaleta-Car, Southampton have signed a defender who is intelligent and reasonably experienced and this undoubtedly helped him switch fairly seamlessly from a right centre-back to central centre-back and vice-versa dependent on where the ball was and the ever-evolving possession situation. Positionally, Ćaleta-Car was generally good and showed a good habit of being in the right place at the right time, as evidenced by the fact the Croatian made two clearances, three blocks, two interceptions, and made two tackles.
At six foot four Ćaleta-Car understandably relishes a physical battle. He is a defender who likes the more rugged side of the game and loves contact with his striker as this is how he asserts himself over his opponent. This was certainly the case with Jesus, who was given no space in which to manoeuvre with Ćaleta-Car walking a constant tightrope of giving away a free-kick – his manhandling of Jesus was clearly a ploy from early in the game. Once it was clear the referee was not inclined to give these typically soft fouls, Ćaleta-Car became a constant thorn in Jesus’ side. With his broad frame paired with his height, there won’t be many strikers that can match Ćaleta-Car in terms of physicality in the Premier League. Whilst Bella-Kotchap has shown very promising signs early in his St Mary’s career, he does not generally initiate the contact with the striker in the manner in which Ćaleta-Car does. He is also not as streetwise; with Ćaleta-Car showing against Arsenal that he knows how to make sure a striker knows they will not have things all their own way.
A partnership of Ćaleta-Car and Salisu is one that has a nice balance and aesthetic to it. Ćaleta-Car is not particularly quick across the ground, whilst Salisu is a powerful and explosive runner who can match most strikers in the Premier League for pace. A criticism of Salisu is that he can be rash and his concentration can let him down at times. Ćaleta-Car is a calmer, more focused presence in the backline and this provides a nice equilibrium alongside Salisu, with Ćaleta-Car able to use his experience to talk the younger Salisu through games; particularly as he becomes more comfortable in his new side. This experience is perhaps why, despite his lack of pace, Ćaleta-Car has not been dribbled past in the Premier League since his arrival in the summer. He simply does not allow his opponent the time to stand him up and attempt to dribble past him.
He is also a better passer than Salisu, with Ćaleta-Car in the 94th percentile of centre-backs in the top five European leagues in the past year for passes attempted per 90 (76.67). On top of this, the former Marseille man is in the top 7% of centre-backs for pass completion (90.9%), and is in the 73rd percentile for progressive passes per 90 (2.96). In stark contrast to this, Salisu is in the 53rd percentile for passes attempted per 90 (54.18), the bottom 4% for pass completion (73.4%) and the 61st percentile for progressive passes (2.63). However, Salisu progresses the ball by alternate means, completing 0.37 dribbles per 90 (82nd percentile) – Ćaleta-Car is in the bottom 2% for this metric (0). Again, the two defenders compliment each other well and have qualities that redeem the other’s flaws which was on display in a tough game against Arsenal at the weekend.
Southampton face an away trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace next. It would be reasonable to assume Hasenhüttl will opt to use the same defensive tactics and personnel as he did in the second half against the Gunners. Whether this works as well in a game in which the Saints will be expected to be slightly more on the front foot will be interesting to see, but the flexibility and fluidity of this shape means that it could cause Palace problems.
With Bella-Kotchap still expected to be out for the next few games, Southampton will be hoping Ćaleta-Car’s defensive partnership with Salisu continues to blossom. The early signs are very promising.
