At the beginning of the Premier League season, Southampton's defence and their tactics of starting the build up play from their own half was largely unconvincing for the Southampton fans. The Saints started their league campaign with four consecutive defeats and a number of Premier League analysts and former players criticised Russell Martin for not modifying his tactical setup in order to adapt to the English top flight.
One of the biggest consistent patterns for Southampton's defensive mistakes were making a lot of misplaced passes near the box and struggling to defend against the high-pressing tactics. However, after the September international break, Russell Martin's side have improved their performance in several areas, such as organising a reliable defence, scoring more goals and better implementing their build-up play.
Champions League winner applauds Southampton’s one key area in 1-0 away defeat
Despite the fact that Southampton have faced defeats in four consecutive matches again, the Saints have come very close to taking a point in each of these fixtures. In the recent Manchester City away game, Southampton took an encouraging step towards forming a rock-solid defence as they conceded only one goal against Premier League's best goalscoring team.
On top of that, the Saints looked more comfortable in front of Manchester City's high-pressing tactics, and even won a lot of ball possession through their successful high-pressing tactics as well. Manchester City's Champions League winning playmaker Bernardo Silva heaped praise on Southampton's resilient performance and their high-press throughout the match, saying,
"I have watched them and they have deserved more points than what they have. A lot of respect for them, they press high and build-up."Bernardo Silva
Compared to the Arsenal and Leicester City matches, Southampton maintained their defensive solidity and composure in this match to keep their chances of securing some points from this match. While the match resulted in another 1-0 defeat, Southampton should replicate this defensive display against Everton in the home fixture, as a win in the Premier League can provide a significant boost to their aim of avoiding relegation this season.