Southampton were very good in the first half against West Bromwich Albion at St Mary's on Tuesday night in a real Jekyll and Hyde encounter.
The visitors had come to play but were caught on the break repeatedly by an irrepressible Southampton attack.
Adam Armstrong elevated himself to the summit of the Championship's top scorer table with his second brace in four days. First he took advantage of some hesitant defending and then he benefitted from a slide rule pass from Finn Azaz for his second goal.
Tonda Eckert's side played a little further advanced than they did on Saturday against Birmingham City, during which they dropped too deep for long periods of the match and invited City back into the game.
The Saints player who played like 'der Kaiser' for 45 minutes
During the first half against West Bromwich Albion, Taylor Harwood-Bellis was able to bring the ball out of the defensive third like Franz Beckenbauer, meaning that Tom Fellows could position himself over the half-way line to receive the ball in more attacking areas.
Consequently, Harwood-Bellis provided the pass that set Fellows away to create the first goal for Léo Scienza in the 12th minute. Then, around the half-hour mark, it was a ball from Harwood-Bellis into Finn Azaz's feet that led to Southampton's third scored by Armstrong.
At that point, Southampton were on top and cruising to a fourth strainght win at home under Eckert.
But everything changed when the teams came out for the second half. Harwood-Bellis dropped deeper which encouraged Karlan Grant to push higher up the pitch one-on-one with Fellows.
Caspar Jander and Flynn Downes were forced to drop into deeper positions to compensate for West Brom's more attacking emphasis and pretty much all service to the front three ceased.
Eckert's substitutions nearly wrecked the outcome
To compound matters, Eckert replaced Fellows with Ryan Fraser who is not a like-for-like replacement in any sense. Neither is he a right back. Then when Cameron Archer replaced Léo Scienza, Southampton looked toothless - just like they had away at Millwall.
The West Brom players licked their lips and forced a series of corners. Eckert's theory that Saints were not undone from open play is quite laughable really. It was Southampton's deficiencies in open play that led to the Baggies creating so many opportunities from corner kicks.
First, just before he was withdrawn, Scienza let Grant past him for Albion's first and then Nat Phillips got above everybody to head Mikey Johnston's corner kick in from close range.
The factor that prevented Albion getting a point was not the fans
The suggestion that the Southampton crowd got the team over the line is romantic nonsense from the young manager. His team invited unnecessary pressure on itself and nearly paid the price. Only time left in the game prevented Albion from snatching a point.
Eckert must learn that his back three need to push up and be responsible for bringing the ball out from the back. That's the whole point of having three defenders against one opposition striker. Harwood-Bellis did that for the whole of the first-half and the rewards were obvious.
The other problem facing Eckert is the huge differential between the attacking players that are in his starting eleven and the players that he has at his disposal from the bench.
Jay Robinson is not ready yet to lace the boots of Scienza. Joe Aribo needs a move away; a fresh start for his own and Southampton's good. The 'wee-man' is past his best at this level and Cameron Archer doesn't fit the system that Eckert wants to play.
Now is not the time for Sport Republic to be resting on it's laurels and giving itself a pat on the back. If Johannes Spors has not already directed the scouts to be looking for a back-up centre forward, a right and left wing-back, and another attacking midfielder to fill in for Scienza, then Saints could miss out on an opportunity to secure promotion as a consequence.