Making The Grade: Match Day 1, Southampton vs. Watford

Midfield

The midfield was a tale of two groups this last outing. On the one hand, James Ward-Prowse and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg played a great offensive game, the former taking several testing whacks at Heurelho Gomes from distance and giving service to Saints’ attacking third throughout his time on the pitch. That he did all this after taking a boot to the face in the 1st minute that required a stoppage for the physical staff is even more impressive; Ward-Prowse is clearly nothing if not resilient. Højbjerg, who relieved him, displayed the same sort of box-to-box ability that he’s shown since signing this summer and was especially aggressive in the attack. I’ve said since we signed him that he’d turn out great, and he’s definitely living up to the hype now.

On the other side of the coin, the midfield looked a bit disorganized in defence, and the lack of Victor Wanyama’s physicality showed. At times, Troy Deeney and the Watford midfield were able to boss Southampton with ease, and defensively-oriented midfielders Oriol Romeu and Stephen Davis were conspicuously absent for much of the game.

Standout: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg

Højbjerg, as I said, showed us why he was rated so highly upon his acquisition by Bayern Munich. From the time he came on the field, he took an active role in the attack, getting lined up for a shot in the box before being taken down in what should’ve been a penalty. On defence, he was no slouch either, punching above his weight and taking on bigger and stronger Watford players with ease. Expect him to get the start vs. Manchester United; he’s earned it.

Snoozer: Oriol Romeu

Romeu did little of note in this outing except perhaps remind us of how physical his predecessor Victor Wanyama was capable of being. As a defensive mid, “absent” is not a word you ever want used to describe your performance. He’ll need to step his game up next week at Old Trafford, or the back line are going to be in for a long(er) day.

Grade: 6/10