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Russell Martin again goes into an international break with his work cut out at Southampton after just one point from seven Premier League matches.
The latest of the six league defeats Southampton have tasted came at The Emirates on Saturday as Arsenal beat Russell Martin‘s side 3-1.
Southampton took the lead on the day through Cameron Archer but were soon pegged back by goals from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka.
That loss leaves Southampton languishing in 19th in the table, with only Wolves enduring a worse start than the St Mary’s outfit and many feel Martin’s players are not helping themselves with how they are playing.
David Seaman on Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes
Southampton fans barely had time to dream of a massive upset as it took Arsenal just three minutes to equalise after Archer’s 55th-minute strike.
It was a familiar tale as Southampton lost the ball trying to play out from the back, with Flynn Downes the guilty party on this occasion.
Downes tried to disguise a pass to Ryan Manning but it was read by Saka who threaded the ball through to Havertz to level the scores and David Seaman has lamented Downes.
Speaking on the Seaman Says podcast, Seaman questioned Downes’ decision, saying: “That pass, that no-look pass is so frustrating. When I see people doing that, I am like why?”
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Southampton have to stop the mistakes
Having defended resolutely for so long, it will be so frustrating for Martin that Arsenal were handed a gift to get back into the game.
However, this is part and parcel of the approach Martin looks to implement, with his sides expected to constantly build from the back and take risks in dangerous areas.
It has been Southampton’s downfall since returning to the Premier League as a huge proportion of the 15 goals conceded have come from simple mistakes trying to pass their way out from their defensive third.
Martin will not change, but perhaps errors like Downes’ against Arsenal show that a certain level of pragmatism is needed to be successful in the top flight.
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