Southampton manager Russell Martin has revealed the change he told his team to make at half-time in their 3-0 win over Watford in their FA Cup fourth round replay on Tuesday night.
A brace from Sekou Mara and Che Adams‘ strike secured what eventually proved to be a comfortable win for the Saints, and one that secures their place in the fifth round of the competition.
That means they are now set to travel to Anfield for a clash with Premier League Liverpool at the end of February, having now extended their unbeaten run to 24 games in all competitions.
However, with last night’s match having been goalless at half-time, Martin was seemingly not entirely impressed with what he had seen from his side in the opening 45 minutes of that win.
Russell Martin reveals half-time team talk anger
With the scores locked at 0-0 at the break, Martin certainly did not hold back with the message he sent to his team at half time in that match.
The Saints boss admitted that he had found himself in a position he had not been in for quite some time, in terms of the points he had to make to his team at the interval.
According to Daily Echo journalist Alfie House, the expression of Mara when asked what Martin had said to the team was telling, something that was then backed up by the manager himself.
Discussing his actions at half-time, Martin was quoted by House on X as saying:
“It’s been quite a while since I have done that. My throat was a bit sore and my hair was all over the place, I think they understand where it comes from.
“This team is built around running so hard for each other and we didn’t do that. I showed them four clips where it was very clear and they nodded in agreement. They felt differently in the second half and I said to them after I don’t apologise for it. It’s my job.”
It is a message that certainly worked for the Saints, with those three goals after the break securing victory and a place in the fifth round.
Ruthless Martin working wonders at Southampton
Martin’s has been praised at times this season for the way he has backed his team even in the difficult periods, and that appears to have shone through again here.
The message he sent to his players at the break clearly worked, with a much improved performance in the second half setting them up for what proved to be a comfortable victory.
However, the fact he has also told them not to apologise and that this approach is his job, shows he is not going to be too tough on them in difficult situations, helping to keep morale up, and evidently getting the most from his team.
As a result, there ought to be a great deal of positivity around Southampton at the minute, after yet another impressive result.