Southampton’s defeat at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday afternoon was a remarkable case of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. As far as Will Still is concerned, it’s becoming more and more difficult to defend his position as the Saints poor run of form continues.
It would be wrong to ignore the mitigating factors surrounding Southampton’s calamitous collapse at Ewood Park on Saturday.
First, Tom Fellows became unwell and was ruled out of the fixture. Then, on the morning of the match, both Flynn Downes and Casper Jander became too ill to play.
Compounding matters further, the squad who had travelled to Blackburn were short on midfield options, which compelled the manager to call upon youngster Cameron Bragg to jump in a taxi from Leicester, where he was playing in an under-21 match.
The Brazilian genius can be Southampton’s saviour this season
In a scrappy encounter, the Saints found themselves ahead through Léo Scienza. The Brazilian, who had come close to scoring his first Saints goal at Bristol City on Tuesday night, made no mistake after 23 minutes. Indecision in the Blackburn defence presented Scienza with the chance to run in behind and slot deliciously home to put the visitors a goal up.
Adam Armstrong had the opportunity to double Saints’ lead but his attempted chip was easily read by Balázs Tóth and he was able to block the striker’s effort.
Although Alex McCarthy was forced into making a couple of very good saves, with the triple threat of Scienza, Finn Azaz, and Adam Armstrong on the pitch, Blackburn looked vulnerable on the counter attack.
Had Armstrong scored in the 66th minute, the script may have ended differently. Finn Azaz found Armstrong with a neat through ball, putting Saints’ top scorer through on goal. His shot brushed the legs of Tóth, which was enough to divert his shot on to the post. From then onwards, it all went wrong.
Noticing that Léo Scienza was beginning to run out of gas, the manager made the decision to replace the Brazilian. Had Still opted to replace Scienza with Jay Robinson, Southampton could have maintained their shape and continued to hit Rovers on the counter-attack.
Still’s curious substitution will hurt his reputation
Instead, the Saints’ manager decided to try and restrict Blackburn by bringing on Jack Stephens in a defensive midfielder role. This sparked chants of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ from the Saints fans as they vented their frustration at one of Still’s most peculiar substitutions of his short tenure.
In the wider context, the timing of the substitution couldn’t have been worse. Stephens is quickly becoming the scapegoat for Southampton’s disastrous run of form and bringing him on in such an important role at such a delicate stage was both foolish and insensitive.
As the boos got louder, it was difficult to know if it was Stephens, Still, or both of them that were on the receiving end of the fans’ anger.
Jack Stephens was a square peg in a round hole
Although Still claimed in his post-match interview that Stephens had played the position before, the Southampton captain looked exposed; he was the proverbial square peg in a round hole.
When Blackburn got themselves back on level terms moments later it was hardly a surprise. When they scored the winner in the 86th minute, it was almost inevitable.
Cameron Bragg’s taxi journey was vindicated when he replaced the injured Shea Charles with the score level. As Scienza was already off the pitch, Still was presented with little option but to bring on the youngster. Sadly for Bragg, his fudged attempt to control the ball and clear presented Ryan Hedges with an opportunity to put Blackburn ahead from six yards out.
Although Alex McCarthy blocked Hedges’ effort, he could do nothing about Gudjohnsen’s shot from the rebound, which flew past him and into the net, handing all three points to Blackburn.
As pressure mounts on the young Southampton manager, he is not doing himself any favours with curious team selection and unusual substitutions.
There is clearly enough quality in the squad to be challenging at the top end of the table. Today Still’s dishevelled side looked more like a team in perilous relegation trouble than a good Championship outfit.
The Southampton fans are beginning to lose patience with their team, their manager, and the board.
Be the first to comment