Stoke City 2-1 Southampton: Three match takeaways

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STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 30: Maya Yoshida of Southampton celebrates scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Stoke City and Southampton at Bet365 Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Stoke on Trent, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /

Defensive lineup

After seven league matches, Maya Yoshida is joint top scorer with a single goal. I don’t think anyone would have predicted that a couple of months ago. Although this further illuminates Saints’ woes up front, it also poses a question about who should start at the back.

With the inevitable return of van Dijk to the starting eleven, many predicted that we would see an all-Dutch partnership with Wesley Hoedt emerge as the preferred option in defence. But instead of the new signing, Yoshida started got the nod alongside Virgil this week, and was arguably the more convincing of the two.

It is now unclear what Southampton’s best defensive line looks like. With the struggles of the front line evident, there is a renewed debate for the shift to three at the back and the utilisation of Cedric and Bertrand as wing backs.

Some fans point towards the failure of this system against Wolves in the League Cup as reason not to make the switch. But the back three against Newcastle would probably look very different to the lineup of that afternoon, with only Yoshida retaining his place.

Replacing Bednarek and Stephens with Hoedt and van Dijk makes for a more convincing proposition, as does replacing Pied and McQueen with Cedric and Bertrand.

Regardless of formation, defensive stability is key to the Southampton system. Pellegrino needs to find his best back line soon.