Southampton 3-3 Bournemouth: Premier League – Three Match Takeaways

Defensive Improvement Required

When discussing the Southampton defence, we would typically point out the number of goals that have been shipped in the last 10 minutes of games, or the number of points dropped from winning positions. We would mention it, if it weren’t for the fact that we’ve mentioned the same defensive frailties virtually every week since August.

We think you’ve got the point by now, but if you had been blissfully unaware of SFC’s mental fragility or late jitters to this point, then apologies for the rude awakening.

Put simply, the team needs a strong Centre Back with good positional awareness, and someone who can spot the danger developing before it reaches crisis point. Players like Jan Bednarek and Jannik Vestergaard have help shore up the defence to an extent, but the back line still finds itself overwhelmed as the opposition piles on the pressure.

At least two of three cherries goals came from defensive slips. Bournemouth’s first goal came as they outnumbered the hosts on the counter, while the third arose because Stuart Armstrong was lackadaisical on the ball.

The squad needs a firefighter to compensate for mistakes and be a calm head who can hold his teammates together in crunch time.

In past years, Toby Alderweireld, Virgil van Dijk, José Fonte, had that job nailed down, securing vital points for the side.

The scouting department would do well to find someone of that mould if not quality.