It wasn’t the dream start Southampton would have envisaged from their Championship opener, as Tonda Eckert’s side lost out against Watford.
The Hornets took an early lead, before doubling their advantage in the first half and never really looking back.
Cyle Larin scored ten minutes into the first half, but the Saints failed to make the pressure pay and ended their 21-game unbeaten run in the Championship abruptly.
There are five key takeaways Southampton and Tonda Eckert can learn from the loss that took them seven points off automatic places after just one match, giving them an early mountain to climb.
Pre-season opponents come into question
The Saints started the match in slow fashion, a key factor in their loss as they conceded twice in the first half.
Rather than finishing their pre-season preparations with a top division side, like they have done in previous years with Brighton & Hove Albion, Lazio and Bournemouth since 2023, the Saints played German minnows, SC Preußen Münster.
A sloppy start cost them the game - perhaps a better final opponent before the season began would have better prepared the Saints for this one.
Ben Brereton Diaz valued over others
It’s difficult to find a Southampton fan with anything positive to say about forward Ben Brereton Diaz, who has been consistently poor since signing for the club from Villarreal in 2024.
The Chilean was selected to play over both Cameron Archer and Tom Fellows as Tonda Eckert’s side chased an equaliser in the late stages at Vicarage Road, leading to raised eyebrows.
Diaz has flattered to deceive in his time at the club, and is seemingly valued over players who surely deserve a spot in the side more.
A midfield signing desperately needed
Only Flynn Downes and Cam Bragg were fit in the midfield department for Southampton as they travelled to London-based Watford.
Following Shea Charles’ exit for Fulham and Caspar Jander’s injury (which is short-term), the Saints need another midfielder to share the workload.
Bragg and Downes struggled to contend with Watford at times, and a Charles-like player was missed in the heart of the Saints’ side.
Letting Harwood-Bellis leave would be detrimental
Taylor Harwood-Bellis is the latest Southampton player being tipped for an exit, following Portuguese side Benfica’s £17m+ bid earlier in the week, which was swiftly rejected.
Mistakes at the back were costly for Southampton against Watford, and a departure of their best defender would be a disastrous mistake, whatever the finances on the deal.
The Saints need to keep Harwood-Bellis at whatever cost - and potentially even sign a player to partner him in the side’s backline with Jack Stephens proving error-prone once again.
Potters clash becomes bigger
Southampton now face three consecutive home matches, starting with a visit from Stoke City.
Tonda Eckert’s team remain rooted to the bottom of the table on -4 points and seven points off the automatics, where they’d like to aim to be.
They simply must take a result from their match-up against the Potters, or face their already-steep mountain growing in size and difficulty.
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