Southampton’s 3-0 loss to Liverpool last weekend saw them reach the unwanted milestone of 25 games without a win against a top-six side.
This run stretches back to the end of the 2015/16 season when a Southampton side managed by Ronald Koeman claimed a vital 2-1 victory against Spurs at White Hart Lane.
Amazingly, that season saw Saints claim victories against each of Spurs, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea; more than deserving of the top-six finish that they eventually claimed.
A lot has changed since then though. Saints fans have witnessed just six draws from the 25 games with the league’s big-guns, which amounts to a shocking six points from a possible 75.
Whilst points from these difficult games can be seen as a bonus, they clearly contribute towards a successful season and, maybe more importantly, the sacred 40 point mark.
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Coupled with this poor run, Saints have picked up a bad habit of surrendering positive results against their rivals. This trait seems to have remained so far this season after a 2-0 lead slipped at home to Brighton.
It was no surprise then that the team found themselves so close to being relegated last season. Now though, something has to change if another scrap at the bottom of the table is to be avoided.
The first-half display against Brighton proved the ability of Mark Hughes’ side to put in strong performances, so now a certain amount of trust must be put in the players to get the results. Sitting back against the Seagulls proved fatal, so they should be trusted to keep that attacking edge in performances for the full 90 minutes.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Mario Lemina and Nathan Redmond have started the campaign in bright fashion and they need to be given a licence to continue playing in the positive manner that they have been.
There seems to be default attacking and defensive set-ups from Hughes’ side at the moment but nothing in between which would help them to see out games.
A strong trait of past Southampton side’s under Mauricio Pochettino and particularly Ronald Koeman was their ability to close a game down whilst still driving forward to create. Many changes have been made to the squad since then and a lot of talent has moved on, but that doesn’t mean that the team shouldn’t be able to win games consistently anymore.
The 4-4-2 system that is preferred now has given a fresh look to the side and it would be nice to see a similar set-up against the bigger sides. Teams such as Spurs and Manchester United have shown vulnerabilities in the early games and could certainly be worried by a team taking the game to them.
Side’s below the top-six have become so concerned about getting beaten that they shut up shop completely rather than trying to influence games with their own attacking talent. Whilst defending keeps the goal difference respectable, good results cannot be claimed in this way.
Ways of influencing the game going forward must be found too. This will be the key to instilling a winning feeling in a squad and getting any disillusioned fans back on side.
A fairly positive set-up was used by Saints at Anfield last weekend, but it was perhaps telling that Matt Targett was included in midfield rather than Stuart Armstrong. Remaining open and able to attack against all teams for the rest of the season could help to get rid of the fear that has overwhelmed much of the past two campaigns.
This weekend, the team face newly promoted Wolves at Molineux in another tough test. However, it really should be game that points are claimed from and that can only happen if the positive attacking traits of the team are allowed to be expressed.