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Southampton’s Tactical Adjustment Under Claude Puel Is Behind Schedule
- Updated: August 13, 2016
ST. MARY’S STADIUM, SOUTHAMPTON—Southampton opened their 2016-17 season with a stuttering 1-1 draw at home to Watford on Saturday in a game where teething issues reigned supreme. Both sides employed new managers over the summer, with Southampton hiring Claude Puel and Watford bringing in Walter Mazzarri. They in turn have employed new playing systems since coming aboard, which led to a strange game in which play frequently shifted from free-flowing to stodgy in an instant.
The hosts in particular struggled in the first half, with the likes of Cedric Soares, James Ward-Prowse, Dusan Tadic and Oriol Romeu passing sloppily. The middle third quickly became an area of torment for the Saints, as Watford preyed on errors and Etienne Capoue in particular impressed with his positioning and movement.
Only Virgil van Dijk, Southampton’s pillar of excellence in defence, put in a consistent showing. His long, rangy legs completed a series of key tackles, preventing the Hornets’ striking duo of Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney from putting the game out of sight early on.
But in the second half things took a turn for the better for the Saints, and in …
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