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Southampton 3-1 Sheffield United: Three Match Takeaway thoughts

By Alastair Case

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JULY 26: Ralph Hasenhuttl, Manager of Southampton celebrates with Alex McCarthy after the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Sheffield United at St Mary's Stadium on July 26, 2020 in Southampton, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Andrew Boyers/Pool via Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - JULY 26: Ralph Hasenhuttl, Manager of Southampton celebrates with Alex McCarthy after the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Sheffield United at St Mary's Stadium on July 26, 2020 in Southampton, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Andrew Boyers/Pool via Getty Images) /
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Ralph Hasenhuttl, Manager of Southampton speaks (Photo by Andrew Boyers/Pool via Getty Images)
Ralph Hasenhuttl, Manager of Southampton speaks (Photo by Andrew Boyers/Pool via Getty Images) /

Shore up the defence and Southampton could be a tough proposition

Saints once again demonstrated their collective propensity for conceding soft goals against Sheffield United. A failure from error prone Jannik Vestergaard to deal with a relatively harmless looking cross allowed Lundstram to smash the ball home. Factor in the fact that two other clear-cut opportunities were wasted by Billy Sharp against his old club and the brutal reality is that there could have been a markedly different result.

One should note that whilst Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek have looked relatively solid and settled over the last few weeks, problems have arisen when Vestergaard has played. The giant Dane has managed some wonderful last-ditch tackles but too often he looks sluggish and clumsy. A prime example of this was when 34-year-old Billy Sharp raced past Vestergaard and it was only by virtue of an excellent save from Alex McCarthy that the veteran striker did not score.

Southampton are expecting to wrap up a deal for Mohammed Salisu this week but whether the 21-year-old can offer real competition to Stephens and Bednarek remains to be seen. His statistics from La Liga suggest potential, although many might remember similar claims of a promising talent being touted upon the arrivals of Messrs. Vestergaard, Hoedt and Danso.

With hope that Walker-Peters will also join the club on a permanent basis from Spurs with wantaway midfielder Hojbjerg going the other way, Hasenhuttl can focus on tightening up a defence which has shipped 60 goals this campaign (source: BBC Sport). Walker-Peters has been integral to the recent run of good form, with his marauding runs and defensive acumen catching the eye. Daniel Levy is known for striking a hard bargain but with Spurs keen to procure the Danish midfielder Hojbjerg, both parties will be hopeful of striking a deal.

On a positive note, Ryan Bertrand has been fantastic over the course of the season and despite his impending 31st birthday in August, he looks as fit and committed as ever. Offering a contract extension for the former Chelsea left back should be a priority for Southampton, along with club captain James Ward-Prowse, hotshot Ings and the “Polish Maldini” Bednarek.