A goalless draw at St. Mary’s isn’t the dream start to the season that we were hoping for. However a point each was probably a fair result, and Southampton now need to learn from today’s lessons in time for their trip to Everton next weekend.
After a rocky pre-season and a history of slow starts in the Premier League, fans weren’t really sure what they were going to see from Saints at Sunday lunchtime. What they got was a game of two very different halves – at times entertaining and at times frustrating.
Alongside the excitement of a new season, there was much pre-match talk about the merits of playing three at the back, the best starting lineup, and the effectiveness of the club’s summer transfer activity.
Alex McCarthy, Nathan Redmond and the debutantes all impressed as the Saints did, despite the scoreline, enjoy a relatively good afternoon at St. Mary’s.
However last season the club’s poor start hurt them towards the end of the campaign, as the lack of points picked up against the likes of Stoke, Swansea and Huddersfield left Southampton fighting for their Premier League status.
But in hindsight, what are the key takeaways from match day one?