Few doubt the high difficulty facing Russell Martin at Southampton. This lesson in south-coast superiority only confirmed it. If the Saints’ manager retains credit in the bank among fans, his team’s inability to learn from mistakes is beginning to bite. It is certainly affecting his disposition towards them.
“Whatever way you play, if you lack the fight and aggression you have a big problem,” he said. A disastrous opening 45 minutes left Southampton far too much to recover from. “I didn’t identify my team in the first half in terms of attitude, spirit and fight.”
