Southampton 0-0 Burnley: Three key takeaways – 12/08/18

Slow Start

There had been much debate over whether Burnley would struggle for fitness following their Thursday night trip to Istanbul, or if their early European exploits would leave them sharper than Southampton.

As it turned out, the visitors started very brightly and easily had the best of the first half. Saints were limited to counter attacks, looked uneasy on the ball, and made a lot of unforced errors.

At half-time there were concerns that we were going to see a continuation of last season’s lack of motivation and organisation. As in many recent competitive games, the team had thus far relied on outstanding saves from Alex McCarthy to remain level.

If the players are still to reach full fitness, performances will doubtlessly improve. But if tactics and selection lie behind the slow start today, Hughes needs to learn and act before the next match.