When Kamaldeen Sulemana went off injured in the first half against Bristol City two games ago, it was a surprise to see the winger replaced by striker Che Adams.
This move saw Southampton change shape, with the 4-3-3 formation Russell Martin had favoured for most games this season switched to more of a 4-4-2 diamond.
Rather than make the obvious switch of bringing on a conventional winger in Ryan Fraser, Carlos Alcaraz became the attacking midfielder with Adams and Adam Armstrong acting as split strikers. The tactical tweak gave Southampton more control of proceedings and Martin stuck with the system in 2-0 victory over Cardiff City last weekend in what was arguably the Saints’ most complete performance of the season.
It is likely that, given how well the tweak has worked, Martin will stick with the new shape at least until Sulemana returns from injury in the new year. This could see increased opportunities for some in the squad, with some unfortunately likely to see their roles reduced as a result.
New shape represents big Sekou Mara opportunity
One player who has spent the season on the periphery is Sekou Mara, however the Frenchman stands to gain from the change in shape given it means Martin will start with two strikers rather than one.
Mara joined from Bordeaux in the summer of 2022 with a growing reputation as an exciting young striker with a big future in the game. It hasn’t quite worked out for the man the Saints paid £11 million to bring to England, with the 21-year-old only scoring two goals since his arrival; both against Manchester City.
Mara has started just once in the Championship under Martin and has struggled to make an impact, although last weekend’s cameo when coming on against Cardiff showed that he is a talented player. He must now show this on a regular basis.
Martin was asked about Mara in his pre-Watford press conference on Friday and confirmed how he feels about the attacker, saying: “Sekou knows how I feel about him – really clear. He’s really talented and has huge potential”.
The change in shape has seen Alcaraz drop from his false nine role into midfield, so given Ross Stewart‘s injury setback, Mara only has Adams and Armstrong to compete with for game time.
Fans have speculated that this could mean they get to see more of the talented Frenchman in the coming weeks and Martin confirmed this represents a big opportunity for the France under-21 international, saying: “We are playing a shape at the moment which may help him get more opportunity – the same with Ross (Stewart) being injured”.
Martin dismissed Mara transfer links
Martin was also quizzed on the transfer speculation surrounding Mara in his press conference, as reports have emerged that the striker would be open to a move away to boost his chances of representing France in next summer’s Olympic Games, though Martin insisted that he and Mara have not discussed his future.
Martin did accept that Mara wants to feature on a more regular basis, saying: “I think every player wants to play more and he (Mara) has probably been frustrated that he hasn’t played much”.
Whilst he did not specifically comment on Mara, Martin did concede that January represents uncertainty, explaining: “We will assess things and the next three or four weeks will determine how they (the players) feel about being here or if they want to go and play more minutes”.
Ultimately, it is down to Mara to take his opportunity when he is called upon and his Southampton future in his own hands. However, it would not be a surprise to see transfer speculation intensify if his game time does not improve over the next month.