Russell Martin will be reflecting on a disappointing first home game of the Premier League season after Southampton lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest.
Having lost 1-0 away at Newcastle United in the opening weekend due to an Alex McCarthy clanger, Southampton fans were optimistic that they could get something against Nottingham Forest at St Mary’s.
However, those hopes quickly turned to despair as Russell Martin‘s side failed to really lay a glove on Forest despite dominating the ball in a concerning display.
It is Martin’s first experience of management in the top flight and it could prove to be a steep learning curve given the vast difference in quality when compared to the Championship.
That will be the case for a number of his Southampton players too, with one showing he may struggle to make the step up with his display against Forest.
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Will Smallbone struggled in Southampton midfield during Nottingham Forest defeat
Martin likes to make tweaks to his side but the most settled element of Southampton at the back end of last season was the midfield.
Flynn Downes, Will Smallbone and Joe Aribo had proven to their manager that they were the most reliable trio as the Saints earned promotion via the play-offs.
All are relatively unproven at Premier League level and Smallbone did himself no favours at proving he can make an impact in the top flight with a poor display against Forest.
In the 3-5-2 that Southampton have started the season playing, Smallbone must carry his fair share of the creative burden.
He struggled to do that at St Mary’s on Saturday and according to Sofascore he registered an expected assists of just 0.01.
Smallbone made no key passes, had no shots, missed his target with all three of his crosses and completed just 28 passes in his 84 minutes before being replaced by Tyler Dibling.
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The 24-year-old also lost possession 13 times, made just one tackle and made one error that led to a Forest shot in a dismal afternoon.
Smallbone Southampton’s ‘worst’ player as Nottingham Forest win at St Mary’s
Whilst it is perhaps far too early for talk of a relegation six-pointer, this is exactly the sort of game Southampton should be looking to win this season if they are to stay in the Premier League.
The lack of creativity in the side as a whole was very alarming, with the Saints managing just one shot on target.
Football Critic were scathing in their assessment of Smallbone’s display against Forest, saying: “Will Smallbone had 84 minutes on the pitch and despite another player for the away side having a lower rating, Smallbone was the worst performer on the pitch over the 90.
“Smallbone had a really quiet afternoon in midfield, managing just 12 final third passes from his haul of 28 passes completed over the course of his time in the game.”
Smallbone really improved as the season went on in the Championship last season but doubts around his ability to make the step up to the Premier League were only strengthened at St Mary’s on Saturday.
Martin will be concerned that his Southampton side are yet to score since returning to the Premier League and will hope to find a creative spark in the EFL Cup tie with Cardiff City in midweek before a trip to Brentford in the league.