West Brom 1-2 Southampton: Three key takeaways
By Erik Franzo
The centre-backs are too similar
Following the sale of Virgil van Dijk, Saints fans anticipated a January signing to replace the massive hole left in the defense.
Although Wesley Hoedt was likely brought in during the summer as a future replacement for van Dijk, it is clear the team is now lacking physicality within the back line.
Jack Stephens and Wesley Hoedt are both technical centre-backs. They rely on instinct, positioning, and first step in order to keep an organized back four along with Soares and Bertrand.
The good news is against a team like West Brom, who makes a living on set pieces, Southampton won all three meetings this season. However, you could see the intent in the opponent to challenge the back four in the air.
Stephens and Hoedt are going to have to adapt to this style of play over the next month, with a number of scrappy six-pointers on the way.
The current centre-back pairing is arguably more effective against the top six teams who seek to keep the ball on the ground.
With a like-minded Maya Yoshida as a backup, fans are relying heavily on Mauricio Pellegrino to develop these centre-backs fast. Which is a scary thought considering how little confidence the fan base has in the manager to date.