Burnley 0-1 Southampton: Premier League

Burnley 0-1 Southampton: Premier League – Three Key Players

By Erik Franzo | Sep 28, 2020

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 26: Jannik Vestergaard of Southampton and Jan Bednarek of Southampton celebrate following their sides victory in the Premier League match between Burnley and Southampton at Turf Moor on September 26, 2020 in Burnley, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /

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Southampton’s Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhuttl (L) and Southampton’s Polish defender Jan Bednarek celebrate (Photo by ALEX LIVESEY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

Ralph’s First Choice – Jan Bednarek

Enough time spent praising his partner, let’s not overlook Jan Bednarek’s performance on Saturday. Bednarek was just as pivotal in stopping Burnley’s relentless aerial attack. He spent much of the time man marking Chris Wood, and showed no problem shifting to the right side of the centre-back pairing.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has chosen Bednarek for nearly every game he has managed and obviously trusts his instincts. He did drop him at half time of the Palace match as Southampton searched for a direct route out of the back, but he seems to have developed his passing in short order. Bednarek drilled his best pass of the game 50 yards on a line to wing-back Kyle Walker-Peters. If he can steadily add this skill to his game, even Mohammed Salisu will have difficulty taking his position.

Bednarek is a mainstay and it is easy to overlook his performance when the much maligned partner shines. However, we must give credit to the Polish centre-back who is proving to be one of the best Southampton buys in the last 5 years.