Southampton continued their fine run of form with another three points as they confidently swept aside Cardiff City 2-0 at St Mary’s.
Adam Armstrong’s brace within the first 15 minutes of the contest was enough to seal all three posts, with a second clean sheet in a row equally as pleasing.
Leeds United narrowly beat Middlesborough 3-2 meant Southampton remain fourth in the league but, with the run extended to 11 games unbeaten, Russell Martin’s side will be confident they can continue to make ground on the three sides above them in the table.
For now, though, Southampton will enjoy their win ahead of next Saturday’s trip to Watford. In the meantime, here are three things we learned from the victory over Cardiff.
Southampton control more obvious after elusive second goal
Southampton were in almost complete control in midweek in terms of possession, but given they were unable to build on their first-half lead it never felt they were completely comfortable leaving fans nervous even if the players were not.
The difference from the past two games to the Cardiff win was that Southampton quickly doubled their lead, sucker-punching the Bluebirds with goals in the 11th and 15th minute. From then on it was a relatively comfortable afternoon for the Saints, with their backline rarely troubled.
Southampton had 64% of the ball across the 90 minutes but it undoubtedly felt like more for Cardiff players who were left chasing shadows for the majority of the game. The Saints should be looking to kill games off early and go for the jugular when taking the lead, because once they go two goals up it is so demoralising for opponents given how good they are at keeping the ball.
Russell Martin has options despite injuries
Southampton were naturally disappointed with the news this week that both Ross Stewart and Kamaldeen Sulemana will be absent through injury until at least the new year.
Whilst Stewart has only had two brief cameos for his new side, Southampton fans and manager alike were beginning to look forward to him leading the line as the main striker. Sulemana has been the established starter on the left-wing since recovering from injury and has been a constant threat to opponents so his injury was worrying news.
However, injuries give other players in the squad opportunities and Martin showed his tactical flexibility in the win over Cardiff as he deployed a 4-3-3/4-4-2 diamond hybrid formation to overcome the lack of pace out wide with Sulemana absent.
This system saw Che Adams come into the side and play as a split striker with Adam Armstrong, with Carlos Alcaraz operating as a false nine or attacking midfielder. The diamond midfield shape gave the Saints less width but allowed them to overload the middle of the pitch which helped them control proceedings.
There was debate prior to the game about whether Ryan Manning or James Bree should start at left-back. It was the former of the two and he impressed, but this highlights that Martin has the kind of selection dilemmas every manager loves to have.
Shea Charles was another who impressed with Will Smallbone absent, giving his manager food for thought and showing that this Southampton squad is full of quality at this level.
A number of Southampton players need a week to recover
One thing that was abundantly clear to those watching the win over Cardiff was that three tough games across a week has taken its toll on a number of players in the squad.
Carlos Alcaraz showed some moments of real quality as he teased Cardiff defenders with his close control and pressed hard but it was apparent from around the 40-minute mark that he was never going to last the full 90. This perhaps isn’t surprising given the Argentine was an unused substitute against Huddersfield Town last Saturday due to a niggle and started against Bristol City in midweek.
Stuart Armstrong is another who has played a massive role as the Saints have secured seven points in a week and was looking very leggy as he came off on 62 minutes. The Scot has had injury problems of his own over the past couple of seasons and it has widely been assumed that he cannot start twice in a week, let alone three times, so it is a positive sign that he is building his fitness.
Martin will no doubt give his players a day off or two following a gruelling week and he and his staff will assess the squad ahead of next Saturday’s return to action against Watford.
A clear week will do Southampton’s fatigued squad the world of good as they head into a busy December fixture schedule.