It was a case of make-way Burnley, SouthamptonThey will fill your void.
Since Sean Dyche’s former side’s relegation to the Championship, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s had taken up the tradition of goalkeepers kicking long.
With early success. After initial attempts to add layers to the team’s Pre-season in-possession gameSouthampton became the most direct team by focusing on midfield rotations, switches of play and becoming the best in the league.
Before you go to Villa Park Gavin BazunuThe goalkeeper who attempted the longest passes (measured by hitting the ball at least 40 yards and not goal kicks) had more attempts than any other goalkeeper. The average score was 58. Ireland international made 24.3 long passes per game. As a result, Southampton had the fewest touches in their defensive third.
Two reasons. Internally, Southampton had grown fond of Bazunu’s kicking distance. It was easy to use and a good way to relieve pressure for coaches. It helped to lessen the onus. Mohammed SalisuAnd Armel Bella-KotchapThe two centre-backs are to play through the lines. Passing progression is likely their weakest part.
Secondly, the reverse stance taken on Che Adams’ future was in part influenced by his importance when going more direct. Southampton recognized that he was the most physically active forward in the team and was crucial in holding the ball up and getting teammates into the game.
This was clearly illustrated by successive matches against Leeds UnitedAnd Leicester City:
Adams challenges for a long ball in the air here against Leeds…
…and here against Leicester holds the ball up to bring others into play.
“There are more benefits,” Ralph Hasenhuttl told The AthleticThis month. “You save some silly mistakes around your box when it is not necessary. The other side is that it takes very little time to get the ball to the opposite half. This is not so bad. If you have a striker like Che who can fight for these balls and lay them down, then it is also an easy way of playing over six (outfield opposition) players.”
It was working very well. They finally played Aston Villa.
Steven Gerrard decided that Bazunu would play short, either for his intended purposes or because he wanted a smaller structure. The first goal kick shows Villa’s front three very deep:
Gerrard allowed Salisu, Bella-Kotchap and Bella to have the time they need. They were then given the task of trying to follow the lines. Under no pressure, they would be free to move out of the 18-yard box.
Salisu decided to change their tactic after spending a strangely long time with the ball. Before the second goal kick, Ghanian gestured for Bazunu’s long-range aim. Bella Kotchap was, however, flapping his arms as if he wanted the ball played to.
They are minor but they establish the theme of dysfunction.
Southampton and their defenders found themselves in a double bind. When they did go long, Bazunu’s kicking was erratic, with three passes in the first half going out of play. If they went short, the players would rush to dead ends like Bella Kotchap, who was previously It is pristine on the south coast.
The additional strain on the three deepest players was shown in the team’s passing network from the first half. This shows how reliant they were during the build-up.
Possession turned into ping-pong. Southampton, despite having the time to play, chose to be more direct.
The primary goal should be to relieve pressure, and get the ball higher up the pitch. If the opposing side does not press — as Villa dutifully showed — they will have more players in their half and are therefore more likely to win any aerial duel. Bazunu won the game with one pass, finding a teammate on the halfway line.
Southampton muddled on until Jacob Ramsey’s goal four minutes before half-time felt terminal. Even though they were only one goal down, the visitors did not look like they would be able to score. Southampton had not won any of their last 103 away Premier League matches when trailing at the break (drawn 18, losing 85) since a 4-2 win at Chelsea on New Year’s Day in 2002, so any thought of a comeback always seemed overzealous.
Each team was reluctant to press, knowing that the other would not allow them to use their ball. Hasenhuttl admitted it was not a “Premier League level” match, while John McGinn was equally critical, insisting if he had a remote control and a television, the game would have been turned off.
The inertia continued into the second half as Hasenhuttl’s worryingly frequent plan to go “all in” made little impact. They could not this time. go on the offensive to bail them out of a sixth successive game after conceding first.
The 80th minute saw all five substitutions, but they were too few and too late. The schadenfreude of Salisu’s final two Lang throws into Villa’s box told the full, sad story. After the defender called for teammates to get closer, one was immediately cleared and the other went for a goal kick.
Southampton are still weak in attack, which adds more stress to a defense, regardless of how much they improve. The disfigurement they caused by goal kicks was evident throughout the team.
Villa kept their first clean sheet in 12 matches and Southampton extended their run to 13 without one — the longest of any side in the league.
“It seemed that after the first two or three duels we were a little bit anxious,” said Hasenhuttl. “We weren’t brave enough to keep on going. When you have no power to play through the lines, then it’s not enough for the Premier League.”
The optimistic mood has been subdued after successive defeats. Southampton keeps slipping between failure and success so easily that it is impossible to fix the roof when the sun is shining. It’s always cold and dark after a loss.
