Town fought hard and came back from behind to take a point from their game at Southampton. It wasn’t our best performance so far in the top flight but a mixture of grit, luck, and Southampton’s profligacy in front of goal meant Town avoided defeat. It wasn’t as good a performance as Watford last week but it was a good point to take on away from home.
The game’s biggest talking point Charlie Austin deliberately kicking Jonas Lössl in the face. The Southampton striker plead his innocence but the slow-motion replay was damning. Somewhat surprisingly, the FA have acted on this injustice and have retrospectively charged Austin with violent conduct.
Town’s first undeserved point in the Premier League
So far this season Town have had to fight very hard for every single point they’ve earned, and in several games, they came away with less than their performance merited. However, against Southampton, I think we can feel slightly fortunate that we got the draw.
Town started the brightest and looked like scoring in the early exchanges but Southampton scored against the run of play and that swung the momentum away from Town. After Charlie Austin’s goal Town seemed to lose their confidence and Southampton’s grew.
It was only when Wagner brought Tommy Smith and Joe Lolley on that Town got the boost they needed and got back into the game. Even then Southampton had opportunities that they spurned or Lössl kept out.
David Wagner said in his post-match comments that he thought we deserved at least a draw, but I think the balance of play and the chances created suggest Southampton should have won. It’s a good sign that Town can go away from home and come away with a point they weren’t entitled to though.
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Charlie Austin gets his comeuppance
The kick to Lössl’s face was blatant, nasty, and cowardly in my opinion. He could have easily jumped over the keeper but instead dangled his leg out in a calculated manner. His unrepentant reaction immediately after the incident showed a lack of concern and a nasty streak which makes it hard to like Austin.
With a better view of the incident I think the ref would have handed out a red card, but unfortunately, any punishment will now be applied retrospectively by the FA. The fact he pulled up with a hamstring injury feels a bit like divine intervention, if you believe in that sort of thing.
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Town stick to their identity even when it’s not going their way
This was probably the best response we’ve seen in the Premier League from Town after conceding the first goal. It’s the only time we’ve managed to get anything from a game this season after going behind, so it’s a positive sign.
I’ve mentioned in the past that Town have fallen to pieces in other games when we’ve gone behind. In this game, we looked vulnerable but managed to just about hold it together and keep ourselves in the game.
David Wagner didn’t change his tactics dramatically after going behind, which I think made sense and meant we were only one goal away from getting back in the game. Our plan A is significantly better than any plan B Wagner has been able to come up with so far, so sticking to the “terrier identity” style of football meant we had a chance of getting something.
At Bournemouth, we tried to attack them when we were behind and they were down to ten men, but that left us too open and we somehow conceded two more despite our numerical advantage. Against Southampton, we showed more maturity and it paid dividends.
Town need a number ten
Tom Ince has played the number ten position more than anyone else this season and has yet to convince me that he’s capable of doing a good job in that role. That’s not his fault though because he’s a natural winger that would be better playing out on the wings.
Last season Kasey Palmer and then Izzy Brown were both able to connect Town’s midfield and attack with clever link play. They’d spread the ball, bring players into the game and provide support to the lone striker. Wagner has said that Palmer, despite being fit, isn’t in good enough form at the moment. Sabiri also seems to be out of favour despite looking good in the games he played earlier in the season.
I trust Wagner to know which players should be playing and which need to be kept away from the match-day squad. It would be detrimental to either Sabiri or Palmer’s careers to play when they’re not up to the required standard. Wagner sees them in training every day, so must know that these two aren’t better than the options we currently have.
With this said, if we don’t have a number ten within the squad that’s good enough to start for Town then that should be our priority in the January transfer window. Woodburn from Liverpool may be able to play this position, and is rumoured to be coming to Town.