Southampton's defeat at Carrow Road marked Tonda Eckert's eighth game at the wheel. Results have been excellent. Six wins in eight games is a fantastic record by anybody's reckoning.
There has been a rapid improvement since Will Still left the club, some of which is due to the front three converting their chances more often and some of it has been due to Eckert's change in the style of play.
The Saints have become a counter attacking side under Eckert, a style which is suited to the players the club have signed over the summer.
Léo Scienza is brilliant in transitions and can carry the ball 30-40 yards in a single dribble, usually resulting with him winning a foul or creating a chance.
Tom Fellows has a similar ability. He tends to carry the ball infield creating overloads in the centre of the park for Southampton to exploit. This is all well and good when both players are available but when either is injured the team struggles to play out from the back.
The defensive problems have been emerging for weeks
But Southampton's biggest problem has been emerging for weeks and it's been obvious to Saints fans watching on from the stands. The defeat against Norwich on Saturday, some might argue, has been coming for some time.
Eckert's preference for playing out from the back from goal-kicks and open play has been causing increasing problems. Two issues immediately spring to mind.
The first problem is the sideways passing at the back to invite the press. In theory, this tactic works but in practice, opposition teams have figured Southampton out.
Teams have worked out that Nathan Wood is rarely going to play a forward pass and that pressing him is pointless. The ball is going out wide to Jack Stephen on the left, or more commonly Taylor Harwood-Bellis on the right side of the penalty box. This is when a light press from the opposition comes.
It's obvious why teams are allowing Saints the ball at the back
The purpose of the initial light press is to hurry the defenders' out-ball to either wing-back. In the first-half against Norwich, Harwood-Bellis played a ball into a tightly marked Ryan Fraser who had no option but to give Harwood-Bellis the ball back under pressure. Harwood-Bellis had the ball nicked off him and Saints were lucky not to concede.
This problem has been alleviated somewhat when Fellows is in the team. He has been able to shake off tight marking and run with the ball, away from pressure.
Giving the opposition time to organise their press, particularly from goal-kicks, has handed away the initiative. Saints aren't playing on the counter-attack any more. They are playing against teams who are happy to let Southampton have the ball.
Southampton's failure to defend the box is down to one factor
The second problem is that Southampton struggle to defend their box when the ball is played in low. Nathan Wood was caught ball watching for each of Jovon Makama's goals and only a fortunate refereeing decision saved Wood from making it a hat-trick of mistakes.
In the air, Wood, Stephens and Harwood-Bellis are usually quite dominant but even that strength was undone in the second half against West Bromwich Albion in midweek.
The issues exposed by Norwich have been obvious for weeks. Southampton need a plan B or even a plan C. They are at their most dangerous when opposition teams have the ball. Their threat on the counter-attack is their most potent weapon.
If they must persist on playing out from the back, then the back three must take more risks. They should be prepared to bring the ball out of defence and engage the first attacker. When Harwood-Bellis or Stephens get closer to the half-way line before making their first forward pass, Saints are much more dangerous.
Tonda Eckert has imposed a style of play and formation that clearly works to a large degree. Now he must learn to adapt to changing situations and circumstances his team face within games.