Deadline night wasn’t the busiest for Southampton following the announcement of new centre-back Zach Abbott, but Tonda Eckert’s side still had a game to contend with.
A visit to Chris Davies’ Birmingham City was in order, a side who the Saints often play out good matches with since their first return to the Championship in 2023.
But this match left a lot to be desired for both teams. Birmingham squandered chances, Southampton took a lead through new signing Keven Schlotterbeck, then the Blues came back and made it 1-1 through August Priske.
The game finished as a score draw, and we’ve taken five key learnings from the outing.
Harwood-Bellis threat replaced
Southampton’s only goal of the game came through new centre-back signing Keven Schlotterbeck, who started for the second time in red and white.
A ball in from Leo Scienza resulted in a bullet header from the 29-year-old, who is already proving to be a worthy replacement for the goal threat of Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
A thin squad
Without new signing Abbott, star midfielder Caspar Jander or Sam Edozie in the squad, Southampton’s options looked fairly light.
Saints boss Tonda Eckert has openly admitted he prefers working with a smaller, more versatile squad, but it means the German will have to hope his physio team are as top-notch as they were last season.
Daniel Peretz looked uncomfortable
Saints shot-stopper Daniel Peretz had a rough night at St Andrew’s, with poor distribution across the board, uncharacteristically for the 26-year-old.
Peretz struggled and played the ball poorly a number of times, even giving Birmingham a good attacking chance by playing a pass directly out of play. It’s an evening the new No.1 will be hoping to quickly get over ahead of a visit to Lincoln City on Saturday.
An off-night for Scienza - or was it?
Birmingham City right-back Bright Osayi-Samuel had Leo Scienza’s number all night, with the 27-year-old Saints winger seemingly struggling. After the game, Scienza posted on an Instagram story, “Important point in a difficult pitch”.
However, the stats tell a different story. No player made more chances than Scienza (4), and of course the Brazilian assisted Southampton’s only goal. Not the perfect outing - but the forward proved as important as ever.
Ward-Prowse still has it
St Andrew’s quietened a notch when James Ward-Prowse stepped over a free-kick in the second half. The returning Saint hit it well, but the shot was parried by goalkeeper James Beadle.
The cameo from JWP was a reminder that the 31-year-old is still a great footballer. The England international had a great impact on controlling the game and looks a snip for £800k.
Now the focus for Southampton will turn to playing Lincoln City away from home once again. A win would see Tonda Eckert’s side take an average of 2.0 points from the opening five - automatic promotion form.
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