Southampton boss Russell Martin now has a big decision to make after Mason Holgate’s Man of the Match performance before the international break.
When Jan Bednarek picked up his fifth booking of the season against Millwall, Southampton fans would have been forgiven for being concerned about the Poland international’s absence through suspension.
With club captain Jack Stephens still sidelined through injury, this left Martin with a choice between young summer signing Shea Charles or Everton loanee Mason Holgate to partner Taylor Harwood-Bellis in central defence against West Brom.
How did Mason Holgate perform v West Brom?
Whilst the former Swansea City manager will have been grateful to have defensive options, both Charles and Holgate have had struggles when deployed in the backline so far this season.
Martin opted for the experience of the 27-year-old loanee and reaped the rewards, with the former England under-21 international announced as ‘Man of the Match’ over the St Mary’s tannoy with minutes remaining.
Southampton had to do their fair share of defending in their narrow 2-1 home victory and Holgate’s headed clearance from a goal-bound strike summed up a solid display.
Meanwhile, Sofascore gave the Toffees man the highest rating of any Saints defender, having also chipped in with the joint-most clearances of any home player (six), on top of his impressive defensive contributions of two tackles and 85.7% duels won, both on the ground and in the air.
Is Jan Bednarek still first choice at Southampton?
Southampton are now eight unbeaten for the first time in a decade and Holgate played a key part in preserving that record.
However, he may have to bide his time before being presented with another opportunity, with Martin telling the Daily Echo post-match: “It was good for him [Holgate] to have that today. Now Mason needs to make sure he is ready to keep performing when he gets opportunities in the team at some point.”
This may be disappointing for the loanee to hear but it is testament to the faith that Martin now has in the pairing of Harwood-Bellis and Bendarek.
Harwood-Bellis enjoyed promotion from the Championship last year on loan at Burnley and looks every bit a Premier League player, meanwhile Bednarek’s form has seen him earn a recall to the Poland squad this international break.
Southampton are still conceding more goals than they would like, but they have steadied the ship after four consecutive defeats in September threatened to derail their bright start to the campaign. They are now within a point of third-placed Leeds United and can start to have an eye on the automatic promotion spots given their recent improvement.
Why Jack Stephens’ return could give Martin a headache
There were no obvious candidates for the Southampton captaincy after the summer departure of James Ward-Prowse. That being said, it was somewhat surprising to see the armband given to Stephens, given he spent last season on loan at AFC Bournemouth as Southampton were relegated from the Premier League.
The 29-year-old central defender started the first four league games of the season but fell victim to an injury that forced him off in the 25th minute against QPR.
The prognosis at the time was a 12-week absence with the knee injury, with his time out currently at 11 weeks. On that basis, the skipper is close to a return and could be available for selection in Southampton’s next game away at Huddersfield Town.
This presents Martin with a potential selection headache, albeit one that he will likely be grateful to have.
Adam Armstrong has taken on the role of captain in Stephens’ absence but it will be the threat to his place in the starting line-up that will concern the defender more. Harwood-Bellis and Bednarek have formed a very good relationship and their partnership has been a key part of the side’s improvement.
Prior to the last-gasp victory away at Hull City on 21st October, Martin said in his press conference that: “I think he [Harwood-Bellis] and Janny [Bednarek] are enjoying playing together. They are learning all the time about each other’s game and what is required. They have a lot of feedback and a lot of conversation.”
Stephens will have expected to be one of the first names on the team sheet this season, but with Harwood-Bellis and Bednarek playing so well together, as well as Mason Holgate improving when called upon, the Saints skipper may have to bide his time.
He’ll be a welcome return for the manager, though, with Ross Stewart also making a recent comeback from a long-term injury.
Martin will have to manage the situation carefully as he will not want to cause any rift in what has become an increasingly settled side.
Stephens will likely take comfort in the fact that games in the Championship come thick and fast and he should still expect to have a big role to play in what Southampton hope will be a very successful campaign.