The Curious Disappearance Of Cédric Soares
It’s not often that match defining moments take place before the ball is even kicked and the last fan has taken their seat. That was however the case in London.
As the SFC team news was announced an hour before kickoff, Cédric was unsurprisingly in the XI. The right back deservedly found his place after a series of good performances, including a goal against arch rivals Portsmouth.
As the players took to the field however, the Portuguese international was nowhere to be seen. At the time the absence was put down to a late injury sustained in the warm-up, but Hasenhüttl has since raised more questions than answers.
Speaking after the match and quoted by the Southern Daily Echo the manager revealed:
“You prepare for the game and then half an hour before he says he can’t train.”
The manager further explained:
“I don’t know what happened. It wasn’t the best preparation for the game. I haven’t spoken to him now but I will.”.
As Jannik Vestergaard played understudy, Southampton once again went without two recognized full backs. This is made all the stranger by the fact that Yan Valery was named as a substitute.
The gaffer revealed his thought process. Again, quoted by The Daily Echo, he stated:
“I wanted our wingers to put pressure on their full backs earlier. This was the reason we tried to switch to three centre-backs.”