Southampton 1-0 West Bromwich Albion: Four match takeaways

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SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: Ryan Bertrand of Southampton and Jay Rodriguez of West Bromwich Albion in action during the Premier League match between Southampton and West Bromwich Albion at St Mary’s Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /

Jay Rodriguez not missed

It’s rare these days that a player leaves Southampton in a deal that pleases all parties, but it felt right when Jay Rodriguez departed for new pastures in the summer. After five years of highs and lows at the club, most Saints fans wished him well.

However when a player returns to his old club there is always a little nervousness. As much as the fans have nothing but good wishes for Rodriguez, they wouldn’t want him rediscovering his scoring form at St. Mary’s.

Add to this the lack of firepower in the Saints squad this season, and questions could be asked as to whether the inclusion of Rodriguez in our squad may have been the answer to our weekly misfiring problems.

However the ex-England international’s performance on Saturday cemented the belief that he isn’t the missing piece in our squad.

Having scored only twice in nine starts this season, his finishing against Southampton was truly woeful. His two best efforts, both near the start of the second half, flew a long way wide of the target. The second in particular was a clear cut chance that he really should have put on target.

The Southampton board still look to be correct in their decision to cash in over the summer. Nevertheless, we wish Jay Rodriguez the best of luck until we meet again on 3rd February!