Southampton faced a disappointing elimination by Burnley in the FA Cup. Post-match, pundit Ashley Williams pointed out the Saints' blunder that deprived them of a win.
Quick question, do you know about Gareth Bale? Now, I know it would be a farce of a question to ask. Still, chances are that one may not know he started his career as a Southampton player.
In fact, Bale was a Saints academy graduate before he went on to become a legend of the game.
Now, few would disagree that one who has captained such an icon would be an unwise man ever. That's why his former Wales Captain Ashley Williams' words become rather important for the Saints.
Recently, Williams criticized Southampton's performance in the FA Cup loss to Burnley. Notably, the pundit pointed out their huge defense mistake rather than nagging about their well-known attack issues.
Gareth Bale's teammate slams two Southampton starters for awful decision making
As quoted by the Daily Echo, emphasizing on Saints' backline movement that led to Burnley's winning goal, Williams' said: "If you keep an eye on Bree and Bednarek, they drop off instead of what we just saw from Joe Worrall, stepping forward and winning the ball."
Throughout the fixture, there were some instances where the Saints' backline looked underconfident. Had they moved boldly in situations like these, the result might have gone in their favor.
Still, honestly, such an error wasn't unexpected given star prodigy Taylor Harwood-Bellis's unavailability for the fixture. Given the balanced defensive style he brings into a passive Saints' backline, he was sorely missed by the club fans.
Now, don't get me wrong, a defense adorned by veteran Jan Bednarek can't be questioned, but it isn't a false claim either that he succumbs under pressure.
For Southampton, the situation is pretty clear. Either improvise their defending style, making it more free-flowing, or else be ready for such stinging eliminations further. The choice is easy, doesn't it?