Brighton 1-1 Southampton: Three match takeaways

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BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 29: Glenn Murray of Brighton and Hove Albion challenges Wesley Hoedt of Southampton during the Premier League match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Southampton at Amex Stadium on October 29, 2017 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images) /

Dutch defensive dynamos

Probably the biggest surprise when Maurcio Pellegrino’s line-up was announced was the inclusion of Wesley Hoedt to the Southampton starting XI.

Hoedt hasn’t featured in Pellegrino’s team since the home defeat to Manchester United and the return of Virgil Van Dijk. When Virgil came back to the starting XI after his long-term injury, it was thought that the two dutch defenders would link up as the first choice centre-back pairing, especially after the club paid £15 million for Hoedt, but in fact it was Maya Yoshida who got the nod to start alongside Van Dijk in the last three league games.

The two defenders showed their qualities consistently during the game which was overall a very solid defensive performance. This now looks to be the first-choice pairing in defence and having two players who knew each other prior to Southampton in the Dutch national team will be a big plus for our defensive credibility!