Speaking after the disappointing loss against Wolves in the Premier League, Russell Martin highlighted one Southampton player as being the difference maker.
Well, it's confirmed. Southampton are now rock bottom of the Premier League table. Their defeat against Wolves was bitter for many reasons but mostly because the Saints never looked in control of the match.
However, manager Russell Martin has provided a positive spin on the events. While he was mostly doom and gloom (understandably) about Southampton's performance in attack, he did highlight one player in particular as being the difference maker.
Southampton fans can only hope that this means Martin plans to use the difference-maker more in the weeks after the international break. He's certainly earned the promotion.
Russell Martin highlights one Southampton player who is the difference
Russell Martin addressed the lack of spark Southampton had in their attack. Most notably, he spoke about how Southampton can rectify this, with a particular emphasis on Tyler Dibling being the difference maker.
In his own words, Martin said: "We've got to structure and put people in positions where they can do their stuff. Unless Tyler (Dibling)'s on (the pitch), we probably haven't got a one-vs-one specialist."
It can be said with certainty that Tyler Dibling was Southampton's best player at the weekend. He came on the pitch for the second half and the Saints looked much better with him playing.
This does raise the question of why Dibling didn't start. After all, it was a tale of two halves for Southampton, with them benefitting the most from Dibling dictating the play.
Dibling has the ability to take on players in one-on-one situations. Some people might pin this down to overconfidence caused by his inexperience. However, it benefitted Southampton at the weekend and in truth, Dibling is yet to put in a bad performance for us.
Tyler Dibling might be busy over the international break. The teenager has been called up to the England U21 squad for the first time in his history. Having frequented the U16, U17, U18 and U19 teams, Dibling has now been promoted ahead of time to the U21s.
In the international break, England U21s face Spain U21 and Netherlands U21, both away from home. Therefore, it is a tough run out for the young lions, with Dibling hopefully gaining invaluable experience.
When returning to Southampton, he should expect to see an increase in his minutes. This Russell Martin team is crying out for Dibling's abilities.