Southampton

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On the latest episode of the Goin' Home With Adam And Jo podcast, BBc Radio Solent sports editor Adam Blackmore spoke about Southampton's frontline: "I'm just wondering how we're going to get more goals out of this team. We've tried something different in this game with the 4-3-3 and they definitely created more openings and got deeper in the pitch.

"You've got a lot of forwards, some who aren't even involved. The thing we have to find is consistency in selection. Within the next few games, you need to know the best team. We need to find the combination that scores enough goals to keep Saints in the division.

"I'm looking at it and I'm not sure who is the best to play on the left, or the best to play down the middle. I'm pretty sure Tyler Dibling is going to become the best to play on the right. Where are the goals coming from and what is the best front three in a 4-3-3?

"Ben Brereton Diaz needs to show more. Cameron Archer needs to bounce back. Does Adam Armstrong need to come back in?

"There's too many questions and not enough answers."

Saints fans, who do you want to see in Southampton's attack going forward?

Let us know your thoughts here, external

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Southampton captain Jack Stephens has been charged with misconduct by the FA following his red card in Saturday's 3-0 home defeat to Manchester United.

Stephens is alleged to have used abusive and/or insulting words toward referee Stuart Atwell and fourth official Gavin Ward after he was dismissed for a tackle on Alejandro Garnacho in the 79th minute.

Southampton have until Thursday, 19 September to respond to the charge.

Ray Hunt
Fan writer

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St. Mary’s took on a morose atmosphere as Saints slumped to four straight defeats to kick-start life in the Premier League. The result leaves Russell Martin still searching for that elusive first top-flight win.

The latest was a humbling 3-0 by a resurgent Manchester United, with a missed penalty and captain Jack Stephens shown his marching orders prematurely to compound the misery. It left Saints 19th in the table by virtue of goal difference.

Fans were calling for a change in personnel and with the formation to which Martin obliged but the outcome remained the same. Which leads to more worrying concerns that this squad isn’t ready for the Premier League.

Even though the latest defeat cannot be blamed at the feet of the manager, you can’t help but feel the next two fixtures could prove crucial for Martin. They host a must-win encounter with last season’s promotion rivals Ipswich. That fixture is already taking on the feel of a relegation six-pointer, which seems absurd in the middle of September. They then hit the road for the short trip to Bournemouth to see out the month.

Before the serious stuff, Everton await in a Carabao Cup tie on Tuesday night, but that will be treated with levity.

If Martin ends September without a point, then it’s hard to see where the points will come from.

It’s worth noting that the struggles are parallel with those from our last promotion to the top-flight in 2012-13. We then lost the first four games. Games that included shipping three against Manchester United at St. Mary’s but also a 6-1 thumping at the Emirates to Arsenal. Things turned around swiftly and we finished 14th, but it’s only natural for those panic buttons to be hit.

How many points will we end September with?

Find more from Ray Hunt at the In that Number podcast, external

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Southampton right-back Yukinari Sugawara believes the Saints should have "killed the game" when they were awarded a penalty against Manchester United.

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent after the defeat, the Japan international said: "For sure, the Premier League is the best top league in the world. It is one of the most difficult leagues to win a single game in - I really feel that.

"We almost dominated the game in the first half against Manchester United but then we lost two easy goals to set pieces. That was unacceptable and that was our fault.

"We played brilliantly in the first half - we dominated the game and controlled the attack and defence - so I felt really good.

"But you need to score to win a game. You would never win if you just kept the ball, because nothing happens. We need to make more clear chances or do something to scare their playing style.

"In this game, I needed to do more. I showed some good stuff but nothing happened [from it].

"If I could make sure that [Cameron] Archer scored then the team would have been different. If we had scored first then I think we could have controlled the game more. It could have been 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0 because we felt really good in the first half.

"But, when we feel good, we have to kill the game. That was our mistake, I think."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

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Former Southampton striker Jo Tessem believes Cameron Archer didn't look "comfortable" when he stepped up to take the Saints' 33rd-minute penalty against Manchester United at St Mary's.

Speaking about the forward stepping up to take his first penalty for the club and missing from the spot Tessem told BBC Radio Solent's Goin' Home with Adam & Jo podcast: "My view, as a professional player, is that you should get your most comfortable player to take the penalty.

"I used to take penalties and I was quite comfortable taking them - I liked it. But, when you have a very young and inexperienced team, there probably aren't that many players that have taken a penalty there and so you just have to choose someone.

"I would say if Ben Brereton Diaz has taken seven out of seven penalties and scored them, isn't that a calculating factor that you consider as a manager?

"You have got to have the confidence to step up and do it, but Archer didn't look confident. I know it is easy to say it afterwards, but he didn't look comfortable. His run up was strange and he had to wait a long time.

"It looked like he tried to look at which way the goalkeeper was going and then lost focus and dropped his eyes down on the ball. When you do that, the goalkeeper has the advantage.

"So, for me, that is why it looked a little bit silly. It always looks silly when you miss, but he did it in a way where he just didn't look comfortable in the job of taking the penalty."

Listen to the full post-match podcast on BBC Sounds

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Leicester were close to a win against Crystal Palace and Ipswich have had a really tough start, but this is the second-worst start a promoted trio have made to a Premier League season in terms of points, with only last season worse.

This is also the fourth time in the last five seasons that the promoted sides have failed to reach double figures between them.

That only happened six times in the previous 26 seasons where three sides were promoted.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Southampton and Manchester United.

Here are some of your comments:

Southampton fans

Malc: Same old Southampton - good start then fade away. They fail to take advantage of good passages of play. The lack of goals will be our downfall as the defence isn’t good enough.

Daz: Russell Martin is kidding himself with what he says. If you lose four straight games in the Premier League it's an uphill struggle. I'm afraid Saints will be relegated. The style of football Martin plays is not suited for the Premier League - certainly the formation he plays. I'm sorry but it's not looking good for Saints.

Cliff: We had some great positives in the first half - Dibling's performance being the standout. Lots of possession and two or three great chances, but the game turned on the penalty, and not investing in proven Premier league quality has again been our undoing. Based on the teams we have played so far. I just can't see were we will pick up points.

Manchester United fans

Danyal: We played much better after the 35 minutes of the first half. The penalty save by Onana gave everyone a boost - and it's amazing to see De Ligt getting his first goal and Rashford also being on the scoresheet. We need consistency now as the next couple of weeks are so important as we are playing in three different competitions.

Nick: Good to get a win. However, with all that talent they are boring and pedestrian a lot of the time. At the end of the season, goal difference might count and if they upped the tempo in these sort of games they might be in a stronger position. They could possibly have scored four or five.

Philip: Very, very poor at the beginning. They can’t allow weak opposition to have the upper hand for the first 30 minutes. 0-3 was flattering. I didn’t feel United imposed their superiority in the second half. Must dominate and push for more goals. Against better opponents they will fall behind if they don’t exit the traps much quicker.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

The game between Manchester United and Southampton was pretty even before the penalty, with four shots each and Saints enjoying more of the ball.

However, after Andre Onana saved Cameron Archer's spot-kick and then the follow-up header in the 33rd minute, Southampton did not have a shot.

The away side had 16 shots without reply and dominated the ball from then on.

Gary Linker brings you highlights and analysis from Saturday's eight Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Liverpool 0-1 Nottingham Forest

• Aston Villa 3-2 Everton

Dan George
BBC Sport

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Southampton manager Russell Martin reinforced the message that his side have to "keep believing" despite their poor start to the Premier League season.

Martin's side have lost all four of their opening league games, their most recent a 0-3 defeat to Manchester United at St Mary's on Saturday.

"We’re just four games in and the lads have had some great moments already in those games." Martin said.

"From those moments the lads will feel that we can really impact the league in a good way and not just survive.

"Having people like Adam Lallana and Aaron Ramsdale in the dressing room and how they can enforce that message is really important, we have to keep believing and learn through the pain."

Saints picked up three wins and a draw in their opening four games in the Championship last season before going on to lose four in a row.

The Saints boss said that he feels more satisfied now than he did at this stage around those consecutive defeats last campaign.

"It’s no different to last year," Martin added.

"Yes the level of competition has gone up but I’d argue we have had as many moments now as we did this stage last season.

"I’m actually much happier with the level of performance than I was this stage last season. We just need to stick with it."

Southampton will next travel to Everton in the EFL Cup third round before a home match against Ipswich Town and travelling away to Bournemouth.

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Russell Martin spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Southampton's defeat against Manchester United: "Any level when you don't respond to a set back, we were brilliant up to that point then we missed the penalty and it changes the atmosphere, changes the momentum a little bit.

"But if you defend set plays in that way, that's not about Premier League talent, that's not defending properly. That's a mentality thing. I'm sure people will point to that being the Premier League and being punished but we have to defend better at whatever level we're at."

On the second half: "It's difficult because they do things at 2-0 up that they don't do at 0-0 when there's a bit of tension in their game because of the problems we caused them.

"But we were still in the game, the longer it went on, I felt we were getting into it a bit more than we get a man sent off and it's almost impossible to claw it back. Then it is about avoiding too much damage.

"The mentality of the players was great until the 96th minute when we let a ball inside us in the box, which is unacceptable so I'm annoyed about that.

"But the lads gave everything and I saw so much to be positive about."

On change of shape: "I'm so happy with so much stuff. We don't lose because we get carved open, we lose because of two moments in our box and a missed penalty. Then we can't recover from that so it's frustrating but I'm really happy with some of what I saw."

On Tyler Dibling: "He's a really, really talented player. We have to manage the expectation and his load because he came off with cramp. He's an outstanding young man and an outstanding talent, we love working with him."

On need to get first point: "Then everyone relaxes. I feel that we're so close to being very, very good and very competitive. But we can't keep defending second-phase set plays like we did today."

Click here to listen to BBC Radio Solent's post-match interview with Russell Martin

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

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For the first half hour of this game Southampton fans were very much enjoying their afternoon in the sun.

The Saints were playing some slick football and causing Manchester United numerous problems, and looked set to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty midway through the first half.

But Cameron Archer's effort from the spot was not the best as it was saved by Andre Onana, and that proved decisive as Manchester United then scored two quick goals to effectively end the game as a contest.

This defeat means Southampton have lost all four Premier League games on their return to the top flight and this latest loss will only serve to increase doubts among some Saints fans that Russell Martin's style of football will prove capable of keeping their side up.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Southampton’s performance, external

What did you make of Man Utd’s display?, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

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There are eight Premier League games on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you all the action and reaction throughout the day.

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Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week four, he takes on Femi Koleoso and Ife Ogunjobi from jazz band Ezra Collective, the 2023 Mercury Music Prize winners.

Sutton's prediction: 0-2

With three defeats out of three, Southampton have obviously not made a great start in terms of results.

There has been a lot of scrutiny of the way they play too, and of Saints boss Russell Martin's principles in playing out from the back, with people comparing them to what Burnley were like last season.

Martin has to have a philosophy of how he wants his team to play though, so I do have sympathy for him. I don't believe there is a narrative against him either - it is just that, in their last game, Brentford pressed them high and they made mistakes and conceded some poor goals.

It is going to be difficult for them against Manchester United too. Erik ten Hag's side have their own issues, which means people don't predict United's results, they guess them. But they should - should - have too much quality for Saints.

Southampton will try to be bold but that probably means they will give up chances and, because I've seen Marcus Rashford has been having extra training sessions, I am going to back him and United to take them.

Femi's prediction: 1-1

I still think United are suffering from a Sir Alex Ferguson hangover. They have not sorted the club out upstairs, even though it is more than 10 years since he left. I think they will drop more points here.

Ife's prediction: 1-2

I am going with Manchester United to edge it.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Southampton centre-back Jan Bednarek has signed a three-year contract extension at St Mary's.

The 28-year-old joined the Saints from Lech Poznan in July 2017 and his new deal could see him reach a full decade of service at the club.

Bednarek featured heavily in Southampton's promotion charge last season, making 45 appearances and scoring two goals in the Championship, as Russell Martin's side bounced straight back up to the Premier League.

Speaking to the club after signing his extension, the Poland international said: "I'm in the right place, with the right manager and the right fans.

"We created something special and I think this was the only decision I could make - to extend the contract and stay here."

On the latest episode of The Devils' Advocate podcast, BBC Radio Manchester's Gaz Drinkwater discussed Manchester United's next match against Southampton on Saturday:

"Southampton play this stupid style of football which worked in the Championship. They try and be really positive on the ball with the defence and it isn't going to work in the Premier League.

"This is where we see a good example of the things that we have improved on, like pressing from the front. We are playing a team whose players are substantially weaker than ours, so we should be getting at them.

"If we don't win, Erik ten Hag is in big trouble."

Joe McGrath added: "I think we will do well, but I struggle to say where the goals come from. I think we'll have a really controlled game and win 2-0."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Southampton boss Russell Martin has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Manchester United (kick-off 12:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• The manager said "changes will be made" to the side for the game against Manchester United, adding: "After three defeats, there inevitably will be changes. How many, you'll have to wait and see and who. It's such a difficult position because I feel fiercely loyal to players who have got us into the Premier League so I have to balance that loyalty from what they did last season to what some of them are actually doing now and the place they are in right now."

• The Saints boss feels his side "have learnt a lot in the first few games" and that they are "really close to being who we want to be and what we want to be".

• On the international break: "I've enjoyed the break in terms of seeing what we really need to focus on."

• Ben Brereton Diaz was substituted 35 minutes into Chile’s 2-1 loss against Bolivia in their 2026 World Cup qualifier but Martin said it is "not an injury so I guess the coach has his own reasons".

• On the scrutiny he has faced in recent weeks: "It doesn't overwhelm me one bit, it's just part of the job. It's the same last season, we had a period at the start where we had a really tough time and then people can say what they want with very little recourse and will judge us based on a highlights reel of eight minutes so I treat it all the same. There were people that called me a terrible appointment for the club and said they need to make a change after losing four games [last season]. There will be the same people doing that now after three games, three defeats, so I treat it all the same."

• All players have come back injury-free which is "all you can ever ask for as a manager after an international break".

• Martin said the club didn't plan to have such a big squad, stating: "Some of the outgoings didn't come off and didn't quite go to plan so leaving a lot of good players out of the squad isn't easy but it's up to us to manage that."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

BBC Radio Solent's sports editor Adam Blackmore believes Southampton will "get better" if they keep playing the way they are in the Premier League.

Speaking on the Saints and Sinners podcast, Blackmore said: "The whole point of having a coach is to coach. The idea is that Southampton keep playing that way and get better and by them getting better and adding players like [Tyler] Dibling and [Mateus] Fernandes and [Cameron] Archer into the mix, these great young talents, adding them in as we go, I hope Saints will improve obviously and start winning games.

"The problem is, a lot of supporters if it doesn't go right for the next month or two will go 'what is the point in having this philosophy because it doesn't earn us points, we're supposed to be winning football matches.'

"How many Burnley fans do you think at the end of last season went 'this relegation is fine because actually we played really nice patterns in the final third and got into the penalty area on so many occasions, oh great our manager has gone to Bayern Munich because his data was fantastic.'"

Tom Deacon added: "Southampton have to come up with a new system that will hopefully, eventually, win games.

"Why is Ben Brereton Diaz out wide? He's on the touchline, that is a wasted position for him, he should be in the middle and then you go back to old 4-4-2 football. It's not revolutionary and then we would need exceptional players that we can't afford to maintain that.

"I think it's about holding one's nerve. We see the players looking happy on social media, they seem a team, they seem united.

"Whatever you think about Russell Martin, he has got a clear vision and the players seem to react to him."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds