Southampton are back in Premier League action this weekend as they welcome Manchester United to St. Mary’s Stadium. The hosts will hope their international players return in fine form, but one individual had quite a turbulent couple of weeks away.
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1 ByKelan SarsonSep 11, 2024 Russell Martin is under pressure
It has been a poor start to the new season for Southampton, as they are winless and pointless in their opening three league games. Their latest game before the international break saw them be beaten 3-1 by Brentford, a game that the Saints should be seeing as a chance to pick up some points as they look to avoid relegation back to the Championship.
However, Southampton were brushed aside quite easily, with Russell Martin expressing his disappointment with the result and performance.
Martin told reporters: "We're very disappointed with the result and the goals we conceded. I feel like we're hurting ourselves a little bit. We had the best chance in the first half with Adam Armstrong.
"It's about taking a breath in that moment; that's my job to get rid of the tension. I don't think there was much in it between the two teams. We have to stop making mistakes that hurt us."
His playing style is starting to come under threat, and according to Wayne Veysey of Football Insider, Martin’s style may now lead to him being sacked. Some of the club’s hierarchy are said to want the Southampton boss to take a more pragmatic approach to picking up points in the league rather than an expansive style of play and receive no reward at the end of it, but Martin is said to be keen on keeping with this approach.
Chile manager may be sacked after astonishing Brereton Diaz call
Southampton striker Ben Brereton Diaz was at the centre of an astonishing moment in midweek, as his Chile manager Ricardo Gareca decided to substitute the player off after only 35 minutes of football.
That decision from Gareca caused immediate backlash and anger from pundits and supporters. Chilean pundit Rodrigo Herrera criticised the substitution after the game, claiming it had a negative impact on both Brereton Diaz and the entire squad, as they lost 2-1 to Bolivia.
Herrera said on the shock decision: “He killed him; I don't understand. As much as he likes the system, as much as he considers him dispensable for whatever reason, I didn't see the team improving that much with Pizarro's entry.
Minutes played
35
Goals
0
Shots on target
0
Dribbles attempted (Successful)
1 (0)
Touches
14
Accurate passes
8/10
Key passes
0
Ground duals (Won)
3 (0)
Aerial duals (Won)
1 (0)
Possession lost
5
“He did show attitude, but to kill a player of that calibre, the only striker, the only '9' we had in the Premier League, wait 45 minutes.
“That's why I tell you that he sends the signals, because the players read this, so the players are reading that Gareca is desperate. Today was a game where there was no tomorrow. Well, there definitely is no tomorrow.”
Brereton Diaz is yet to get on the scoresheet for Southampton, and he will be looking to get his disappointment from midweek behind him as soon as possible.
