Southampton have lost three from three to start the Premier League season as Russell Martin struggles to find the winning formula in the top flight.
The latest of those defeats came on Saturday, as Southampton lost 3-1 to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium to enter the first international break of the campaign 19th in the Premier League.
The only real positive from the game was that Russell Martin saw his side score their first league goal of the season, but Yukinari Sugawara’s 95th-minute strike was far too late to impact the result.
One of the features of Southampton‘s season so far has been defensive mistakes, with Martin setting his side up with a back three having spent the bulk of the promotion-winning campaign using a back four.
1-0 defeats against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest preceded the 3-1 defeat at Brentford and the most frustrating thing for Martin is that the goals conceded have been largely of Southampton’s own doing.
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Adam Blackmore tells Russell Martin change he must make to Southampton defence
Having primarily played a 4-3-3 in the Championship last season, Martin sprung a surprise just before the play-offs as he switched to a 3-5-2.
A combination of the two formations saw Southampton successfully earn promotion via the play-offs and the Saints boss has made the decision to set-up in a 3-5-2 in all three games of the new Premier League season.
That has seen Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Jan Bednarek and club captain Jack Stephens the chosen trio of centre-backs.
However, with three defeats from three, BBC Solent broadcaster and journalist Adam Blackmore has explained what he would do to improve the Saints defensively.
Blackmore asked former Saint Jo Tessem on the Goin’ Home with Adam and Jo BBC Sounds show: “For me, Taylor Harwood-Bellis – you paid £20 million for the England under-21 captain – he put a couple of threaded balls through in the first-half, he’s got that in his locker, he had a couple of bad moments, yes, would he have been the one you sacrificed to go to a back four?”
Blackmore then answered his own question, saying: “I would’ve taken Jack Stephens off. Not because I don’t like Jack Stephens, but Bednarek and Harwood-Bellis were the pair that played together a lot last season in the Championship when Saints were at their best.
“So I would have Bednarek on the left and Harwood-Bellis on the right, that would be my preference.”
Martin has to decide favoured Southampton defensive partnership
One thing that has been glaringly obvious from Southampton’s first three league games is that they have struggled with the 3-5-2 shape.
Although it was a completely changed XI against weaker opposition, Southampton looked far more natural as they set up in a 4-3-3 in the 5-3 Carabao Cup win over Cardiff City days before the Brentford loss.
This leaves Martin with a big decision to make on his best central defensive pairing.
Stephens is captain of the club and a player that Martin was keen to get back into the side by any means necessary following a lengthy absence in the first half of last season.
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This saw the centre-back play a number of roles as his manager looked to shoehorn him into the team despite Harwood-Bellis and Bednarek forming a solid partnership in a spell in which Southampton went 25 games unbeaten.
In truth, all three centre-backs have had their struggles so far this season, but it feels like it is now time for Martin to pick his chosen duo and stick with it if his side are to tighten things up at the back.