Russell Martin had the chance to take one last look at his Southampton players prior to the start of the Premier League season as they played out a 0-0 St Mary’s draw with Getafe.
After Carlos Alcaraz’ red card against Lazio on Wednesday night it was another fiery affair against Getafe, with the Spanish side guilty of pushing the boundaries with some of their challenges on Southampton players.
Russell Martin will therefore be pleased that his players look to have come through the test relatively unscathed with there now less than a week until the Saints face Newcastle United away from home.
Kyle Walker-Peters got his first minutes of pre-season after constant transfer speculation has seen him left out thus far, whilst there was a rare sighting of striker Paul Onuachu late in proceedings.
- READ MORE: Russell Martin opens door for forgotten Southampton man to stay amid ‘different beast’ verdict
The side Martin put out against Getafe is expected to be very similar to the one that starts the Premier League opener and one of Saints’ midfielders cemented his starting spot with a brilliant display.
Joe Aribo Southampton ‘Man of the Match’ in Getafe draw
The draw with Getafe meant that Southampton finished pre-season with just one defeat; losing 2-0 to Oxford United.
Games against Lazio and Getafe have provided decent tests and Martin will be happy that his side more than held their own against two strong opponents.
The side that faced Lazio consisted of what is expected to be the fringe players, whilst it was a return to the starting XI for the likes of Jack Stephens, Flynn Downes and Adam Armstrong against Getafe.
That also saw Joe Aribo take up the centre midfield position he made his own in the second half of last season and the Nigerian took his chance to cement his starting spot with an impressive performance.
The Daily Echo gave Aribo an eight out of ten in their player ratings, commenting: “My man of the match.
“Super strong and always kept possession in tight areas. No brainer to start against Newcastle with newfound physicality in the middle.”
Aribo to continue Southampton career revival in the Premier League
Aribo joined the Saints in summer 2022 but struggled to get a consistent run in the team as Southampton got through three different managers on course to a bottom-placed Premier League finish.
The 28-year-old was linked with a move away from St Mary’s last summer but an exit never materialised.
Aribo’s Southampton career looked all but over as he started just one Championship game up until early December, but Flynn Downes’ absence in the 1-1 draw against Watford on December 9th gave Aribo an opportunity to stake his claim.
It was one he took emphatically, impressing before going on to become an integral member of the side in the second half of the season as the Saints secured promotion.
Now, Southampton’s undisputed starting midfield three is Downes, Will Smallbone and Aribo; with the three developing a relationship that allows each player to flourish individually.
With talk of an attacking midfielder being high on the list of transfer priorities before the end of August, one of the midfielders’ starting spots could be at risk and Aribo showed against Getafe that it should not be his.