Southampton enjoyed a return to St Mary’s after two consecutive away games, as they beat play-off hopefuls Blackburn Rovers 4-0.
Russell Martin‘s side were helped by a senseless Blackburn red card on 55 minutes, but were the better side prior to that and had taken the lead through Sam Edozie on 44 minutes.
With Blackburn happy to sit in their shape, once Southampton scored their second through Stuart Armstrong Martin used the opportunity to give a number of players a rest and others some much-needed game time; the 73% of the ball that Southampton had in the game testament to just how in control they were.
Ryan Fraser and Shea Charles both came on at 66 minutes – replacing Sam Edozie and Flynn Downes – but the most notable change was the man who entered the fray alongside them. Club captain Jack Stephens has been on the bench for the past two games and, with Southampton comfortable, Martin saw it as the perfect time to hand the 29-year-old his first appearance since August.
Russell Martin praises Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ reaction to substitution
Taylor Harwood-Bellis was the player who made way to allow the Saints skipper to return. The 21-year-old has quickly become a key member of Martin’s side, and has started all but one game in Southampton’s current run of 14 games unbeaten.
Manager Martin was asked in the aftermath of the game how Harwood-Bellis responded to being the player replaced by Stephens. The ex-Swansea City and MK Dons manager confirmed that he explained his decision to the on-loan centre-back as soon as he came off and that Harwood-Bellis was “good as gold, he’s a proper teammate.”
Martin went on to add say: “I explained to him (Harwood-Bellis) that this was the perfect chance to give Jack some minutes” to which the Saints managers says the defender responded by saying “‘Yeah, I’m cool – let him enjoy it, I’m knackered anyway.'”
What does Jack Stephens return mean for Harwood-Bellis?
It is logical to assume that a fully fit Stephens returns to the starting line-up given that he is the club captain, but with the impressive form of both Harwood-Bellis and Jan Bednarek this is by no means a foregone conclusion.
When asked about the competition for places at centre-back, Martin said: “That’s a problem for me and it’s a good problem to have” before adding that “we will see how that evolves over the next couple of weeks but we will need everyone.”
Martin is keeping his cards close to his chest regarding who his ideal centre-back partnership will be, but £30k-a-week skipper Stephens will have his work cut out if he is to displace the current duo. Bednarek was remarkable both in and out of possession in the romping of Blackburn whilst Harwood-Bellis is showing his quality on a weekly basis.
Martin has hinted previously that the three could play together at some stage, but it would be a surprise to see the manager change the shape that has brought so much recent success just to accommodate an extra centre-back. The truth of the matter is that there are a lot of games to negotiate, especially over the next few weeks, so Martin will likely use this as an opportunity to rotate without having to pin his colours to the mast regarding what is his favoured pairing.
Given the form both are in, and the partnership they have developed, Harwood-Bellis and Bednarek are effectively undroppable. Martin has proven on multiple occasions this season that if you play well when you get your chance you keep your place, with Joe Aribo and James Bree particular examples of that approach.
Stephens is a leader and has been at the club a long time, so will not be one to kick up a fuss that he isn’t starting for as long as those ahead of him are performing to such a high level, but he won’t enjoy watching on from the substitutes bench.
As Martin has eluded to, all three will more than play their part this season and it is a great problem to have. Southampton don’t have to rush Stephens back from a relatively long-term injury, but he is there to be called upon.
That being said, Martin will have his work cut out to keep everyone happy, with all three players undoubtedly believing they should be starting. Whilst it may be uncomfortable at times, Martin will see this potential problem as a blessing. Having three players competing for two positions should drive each player on and prevent any complacency creeping in, which can only be good news for Southampton’s promotion hopes.
One player it is bad news for is Mason Holgate. The defender on-loan from Everton has seen opportunities few and far between even in Stephens’ absence, so the return of the captain may well see his role reduced even further.