Southampton extended their unbeaten run to 13 games against Coventry on Wednesday night, but the draw some them cut further adrift from the automatic promotion spots.
Next up for Russell Martin’s side is the visit of Blackburn Rovers; a welcome home game after two consecutive away trips. Rovers make the trip following a Tuesday night 2-1 victory over Bristol City, which was their third win in their last five Championship games.
It feels as though Southampton are constantly coming up against play-off chasing sides, which is perhaps an indictment of the competitive nature of the league, and Blackburn fit firmly into that category.
Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side are currently ninth in the Championship and just two points off the play-offs; eight points off Southampton in fourth. Saturday’s game will be another test for a Southampton side frustrated by their inability to turn dominance into wins, and we spoke to Blackburn reporter Elliott Jackson of Lancs Live to get the inside track on the Saints’ next opponents.
What should Southampton expect from Blackburn Rovers
Jackson believes it will be intriguing to see how Blackburn approach the game, saying that: “Rovers don’t usually sit in a low block but did so against Russell Martin’s Swansea City early last season and ended up winning that game 3-0″.
Jackson explains that usually Blackburn are on the front-foot and “get after the opposition and press them high.”
Rovers tend to set up in a 4-2-3-1 shape under Tomasson, although there is some flexibility with this shape and it can sometimes look more like a 4-2-2-2 which will be familiar to Southampton fans given it was the favoured system of former manager Ralph Hasenhüttl.
Despite the success Rovers had against a side managed by Martin last season, Jackson predicts a 2-1 Southampton win, explaining that he feels Southampton have “the talent advantage and, whilst it will be an even game between both boxes, the Saints will have the players capable of being clinical in the final third.”
Who are Blackburn’s key men?
It comes as no surprise that Jackson has identified Sam Szmodics as the key man for Rovers, given he is the top goalscorer in the league despite not playing as an out and out striker.
Southampton’s defence will have to be on top form to keep Szmodics quiet. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu will also have to have his wits about him, but the Irish stopper recovered well from a mistake at Watford last Saturday to make some vital saves against Coventry.
Another player that Jackson has highlighted is Adam Wharton, who he describes as “the wonder kid in midfield.”
Wharton is an England youth international who has just committed his future to the Lancashire club by signing a new five-year deal and Jackson says the youngster “looks destined to reach the top.”
Both Wharton and Szomodics will certainly be in the line-up and Jackson believes the following will be the side that Tomasson sends out for the Southampton clash:
(4-2-3-1) Wahlstedt; Hill, Carter, S. Wharton, Pickering; Brittain, A. Wharton, Tronstad, Sigurdsson; Szmodics; Leonard.