Mohammed Salisu’s comical own goal compounded a miserable afternoon for Southampton as Tottenham Hotspur condemned them to a demoralising 4-1 drubbing on Saturday.
The performance succinctly summarised Southampton’s weaknesses both defensively and offensively. Saints are leaking goals at a concerning rate – collecting one win from their last 13 league games and conceding 34 goals in the process.
They also look very thin on the ground in the final third with an over-reliance on James Ward-Prowse becoming a familiar theme. Ward-Prowse hit double figures in the Premier League for the first time in his career last term with 10 goals and five assists and was directly involved in 35% of their 43 league goals.
It's hard to see Southampton surviving relegation if Ward-Prowse is absent for any length of time and he will remain their key threat against Leeds United at St Mary’s. It is difficult to see where else the goals are going to come from for Saints this season.
Adam Armstrong led the line alongside debutant Joe Aribo, who joined from Rangers this summer. Although Aribo was somewhat of a coup signing for Saints, his performance against Spurs left little to be desired. Armstrong, meanwhile, has found the net just two times in 29 matches since joining from Blackburn Rovers for £15m in August 2021, with his goal drought stretching back to November 2021.
Only Che Adams (7) and Armando Broja (6) scored more than five league goals other than Ward-Prowse last season. But with Broja returning to his parent club Chelsea and Adams linked with a move to Saturday’s opponents Leeds, a weight of expectation will be placed on the shoulders of new signing Sekou Mara.
There is also no guarantee that Mara will be the answer to Southampton’s prayers. Young and promising he may be, but Mara scored only six times during his breakthrough season at Bordeaux, who finished rock bottom in Ligue 1 last season.
As previously mentioned, Southampton’s woes in front of goal are coupled with their inability to keep goals out at the other end. Hasenhuttl refrained from throwing summer recruit Armel Bella-Kotchap, signed from Bundesliga outfit VfL Bochum, into the action at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Perhaps it was a smart move, as it would’ve done his confidence little good considering Southampton’s defensively deficient display.
Salisu has been unable to rediscover the confidence that made him such an exciting prospect in the early stages of last season, while Jan Bednarek’s form has been poor for some time.
One bright spark in a dark afternoon for Saints in their Premier League opener was the performance of Romeo Lavia. He exuded confidence on the ball and could develop into a very good signing, but his auspicious debut was inevitably overshadowed.
Southampton can take positivity from last season’s record against Leeds. Armando Broja’s solitary strike heralded a 1-0 win at St Mary’s in October 2021. Ward-Prowse rescued a point for Southampton in their last outing at Elland Road in April, after Jack Harrison opened the scoring for Leeds just before the half-hour mark.
Ralph Hasenhuttl is just four months short of his four-year anniversary in the Saints dugout. Whether he is able to celebrate that milestone or not remains to be seen. It may be too early to make any striking statements, but if Saints continue to carry their dismal end to last season into the new campaign, then they will quickly find themselves in danger.
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