Manchester City 2-1 Southampton: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis

Modified Nov 04, 2019 13:21 GMT

Kyle Walker celebrates his late winner against Southampton as Manchester City came from behind to win

#2 Southampton's organised defensive display shows they are capable

Although their hearts were broken late on, Southampton can take credit from their collective display here

This display had everything you could've asked for from Southampton's perspective: organised, cynical fouls at crucial moments, playing for one another, a goal - scruffy or not - a proper defensive showing just a week after their horror show against Leicester.

So why couldn't they perform like this last Friday? Ryan Bertrand's early dismissal wouldn't have helped matters, but the team collectively capitulated 20 minutes in against a Foxes side hungry for more goals and energised by their numerical advantage as things continued to worsen.

Pre-match, club legend Francis Benali stressed this game would be a test of "damage limitation" against the champions. Not only did they prove him and other critics wrong, they proved their capability to deliver rearguard defensive displays and won't be playing teams with Manchester City's attacking options nor champion spirit very often either.

Captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg had to fill into an unfamiliar role at left wing-back, as Hasenhuttl made three changes to the side who lost 3-1 to City (EFL Cup) in midweek. Despite an early booking, he was quietly effective and continually a nuisance for City players to contend with in transition - keeping his composure and managing dangerous situations well.

Between the centre-back trio of Vestergaard, Stephens and Bednarek, they completed 44 clearances, six blocks, five tackles and interceptions over the 90 minutes. Valery battled hard against Sterling, Romeu was kept busy in midfield while goalscorer Ward-Prowse was probably their best player. Their forwards worked tirelessly without much service too.

Their next six games? Everton, Arsenal, Watford, Norwich, Newcastle, West Ham. All are winnable fixtures they should aim to earn a good points haul from as they attempt to turn their season around, after only eight points after eleven matches (18th) this term.