Down Go the Saints

Courtesy of Football365

Matchweek 35 - 2022/23

Southampton sit at the very bottom of the Premier League table with just 24 points from 35 games. On Monday, they all but confirmed their relegation status as they fell 4-3 to Nottingham Forest. Despite finding the net three times, the Saints’ defensive fragility is what lost them the game, and it is what will inevitably cause their relegation. 

Ruben Selles’ side have one of the worst defensive records this season, with the lowest goal difference and fourth most goals conceded. Their shaky defense has cost them games all year, but against fellow relegation fighters Nottingham Forest, Southampton needed their backline to step up and contribute. Instead, its weakness was on full display.

In the 18th minute, Forest launched a quick free kick forward for Brennan Johnson and Taiwo Awoniyi to chase, while three Southampton defenders tracked back with them, which should have been plenty to shut down the threat. Johnson reached the ball first, dragging one Saints defender wide and out of position, creating acres of space in the penalty area for Awoniyi to stride into. The other two defenders watched as the Nigerian ran between them and onto the end of Johnson’s cross for his first goal of the game. 

Even if Southampton’s backline is forgiven for being caught out by the quick free kick, they cannot be forgiven for letting Johnson and Awoniyi score from a 2v3 situation. The speed of Johnson’s run meant that his only passing option was Awoniyi, yet somehow neither Saints defender put themselves between the striker and the net, allowing him to fire Forest into the lead. 

Only three minutes later, Awoniyi got his second. Saints winger Carlos Alcaraz cheaply gave the ball away in his defensive third, allowing Forest to pile on the pressure. Southampton were able to clear twice, but only as far as the waiting opposition midfielders. With nine players within 20 yards of their goal, the Saints should have had enough defensive support to successfully resist Forest’s repeated attacks, yet their backline let them down again. 

Southampton’s low-block structure is typical of struggling teams who are defending for their lives. This approach of dropping as many players behind the ball as possible can work, but only as long as clearances are successful and the defenders can break their shape to put pressure on the attacking team. If they can’t, goalscoring chances are inevitable as the formation allows the attackers to simply launch crosses and shots again and again.  

The low-block meant that no Saint was able to put pressure on a Forest midfielder quickly enough before they fizzed the ball through the stationary defense to Danilo, who flicked it up for Awoniyi to swivel and slam a stunning volley past Alex McCarthy. While the defenders cannot be faulted for the finish itself, more a moment of brilliance from the striker than a mistake by his marker, they failed in letting the chance fall to Awoniyi. Twice Southampton had the chance to clear the ball and break the onslaught, and twice they could have applied pressure on the player the clearance fell to, but neither happened and Forest was gifted opportunities to continue pummeling the Saints’ backline. 

Nottingham Forest took advantage of their opponent’s sluggish defense twice more. Ainsley Maitland-Niles gave away a penalty just before halftime after Brennan Johnson snuck his foot in between the ball and Maitland-Niles’ clearance, and Forest went up 3-1. Then, Southampton was again too slow to react as Johnson broke down the right wing and crossed it for Morgan Gibbs-White to set up the fourth goal with one of the best single touches of the ball all season. 

The Saints’ did manage to find three goals, but Che Adams, James Ward-Prowse, and Stuart Armstrong, who are all experienced attackers and are doing their best to give their team some hope, cannot carry their side all season. The goals against Forest came from a nice move from Adams and Armstrong that Alcaraz finished, a corner kick from Ward-Prowse, and a lucky penalty kick that Ward-Prowse converted in the dying moments, but it was not enough to make up for the squad’s defensive inabilities. 

Surprisingly, the Saints have managed to score three goals against both Arsenal and Spurs earlier this season. Yet in both of those games, their defensive fragility let them down and they were unable to hold on for the much-needed three points. Sadly for the fans at Saint Mary’s Stadium, this theme has been seen throughout the season under all three managers. Even when they’re able to score, Southampton can’t keep goals out at the other end, and sit dead last in the table as a result. 

After eleven seasons at the top, Southampton are now in big trouble and face an imminent drop to the Championship. They must win all three of their remaining games to have even a chance at staying up. Unfortunately, their final matches are far from easy. Games against Fulham, Brighton, and Liverpool mean it’s very likely that Southampton won’t pick up another point, finalizing their place as the first team to be mathematically relegated and condemning them to the drop as early as this weekend.

Ian Katan

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