Russell Martin has had a tough start to life as a Premier League manager with his Southampton side losing all three of their league matches so far.
Russell Martin is a relatively inexperienced manager who climbed the ranks quickly before arriving at Southampton last summer after spells in charge of MK Dons and Swansea City.
In his five years as a manager, Martin has demonstrated a possession-heavy style which focuses on principles of control and finding the spare man.
Southampton have struggled since their return to the Premier League with defeats to Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and Brentford and just one goal scored.
This has seen the Saints enter the first international break of the season 19th in the league with zero points and only Everton below them.
Russell Martin Southampton style criticised since Premier League return
Whilst the 1-0 defeat away at Newcastle on the opening day was not widely considered a cause for concern despite playing the majority of the game against ten men, the same cannot be said for the 1-0 loss at home against Forest and 3-1 loss at Brentford.
A theme of Southampton’s league games so far has been mistakes playing out from the back, as well as chance creation.
Against Newcastle goalkeeper Alex McCarthy’s error passing to a team-mate within his own box was the reason for defeat, whilst the backline constantly made mistakes in possession against Brentford.
This was not so evident against Forest, but the fact Southampton only mustered one shot on target against a likely relegation rival in that game despite having 65% possession led to criticism of Martin’s style.
Comparisons to Vincent Kompany’s Burnley have been rife, whilst Southampton’s approach has been labelled ‘suicidal’ with many viewing it as passing for passing’s sake.
However, a look at the statistics shows us this is not necessarily the case.
Southampton looking forward with their passing in Premier League
According to FBRef, Southampton rank second in the Premier League for possession so far this season, ahead of Manchester City and only 0.3% behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur.
The worry is that this has come without pay-off, with Yukinari Sugawara’s 95th-minute consolation goal against Brentford on Saturday all that Martin’s side have to show for their 68% average possession.
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However, the data shows us that the notion that Southampton simply keep the ball in their own half and pass backwards and sideways is fictional.
That is proved by the fact that Southampton are third only to City and Tottenham for progressive passes (passes that are played ten-yards or more forward) with 154 so far; just 15 less than the two sides above them who are both on 169.
To add to this, the Saints are progressing the ball through carries too, with Pep Guardiola’s City the only team to advance the ball at least ten-yards through dribbling more than Southampton.
City have registered a huge 107 progressive carries across their three fixtures this season so far – which have all been wins – whilst Southampton have registered 86 across their three losses.
In contrast, fellow newly-promoted clubs Leicester City and Ipswich Town rank the lowest two sides in the Premier League for the same metric, with 33 and 32 respectively.
Whilst, of course, progressive passes and carries do not win football matches, the signs are there that Martin’s Southampton side are actually being far more forward-thinking with their possession than they are being given credit for.
Martin must spend the international break finding a way to convert this to goals, but the signs are there that it is just the finishing touch that is missing rather than a complete overhaul needed.