Southampton 1-3 Bournemouth: Premier League – Three Match takeaways

Preparing For Pompey

In reality, the match with Bournemouth was nothing more than preparation for Pompey.  Ralph Hasenhuttl admitted to knowing the importance of the game ahead, while publicly reminding the fans of the Premier League game that came first.  Regardless of the focus, as a player, it has to be difficult to not look forward, ultimately affecting your performance.  The pregame press conference was littered with questions about the schedule, and Hasenhuttl did not deny the constant reminders of the monumental match on Tuesday.

The Southampton manager remains consistent on deploying the best possible side.  Which means the team we saw on Friday is likely very similar to what we will see Tuesday, barring injury.  Kevin Danso may have lost his place following his performance, but it is possible Ryan Bertrand returns from his first-team absence.

The takeaway here is that getting a result against Bournemouth was always going to be extremely difficult.  A South coast derby seven years in the making was looming, and getting over that mental block cannot be simple.  The slow start was all the evidence you needed, but fans should be happy about the second half response.  Now let’s move forward, cheer our club on, and hope our team gives us a performance they were saving for Tuesday night!