Positives from defeat - but it is the response that will matter
- Published
Eight losses from nine, one point and pinned to the foot of the table. It has not been fun for us Saints fans this season. Serious questions are still being raised on the tenure of Russell Martin, but actually, we have plenty of positives from the latest defeat at Manchester City.
OK, it was another loss. It was supposed to be. But after conceding inside five minutes against the defending champions in their own back yard, you could be forgiven in thinking this could be another total collapse and set for a long afternoon. Instead, we battled bravely and even came close to levelling.
Such was the case against Arsenal, a game that saw us unexpectedly take the lead at Emirates Stadium and give us all hope for an unlikely upset. We eventually came unstuck 3-1.
Martin was given another much-needed boost after the latest result against another title challenger. Defensively, we looked capable of competing with the best, and looked like a Premier League side once again. Martin switched to three central defenders and welcomed back Jack Stephens following his five-game suspension.
It was not just defensive improvements. We showed desire with the ball, stayed with them until the end, had 64% tackle success and left with the best passing stats at Etihad Stadium since the start of last season with 434 accurate passes (91%).
We also received glowing responses from City's Pep Guardiola and Bernardo Silva, the latter remarking: "I have watched them and they have deserved more points than they have."
Martin responded: "This is one of the toughest places to come in the world. I have nothing but pride and gratitude for the players today because if we're going to lose, we need to lose in our way."
It is the response that will matter. We did not respond following Arsenal. If we do not build on the positives from City, then it will be all in vain. Nothing short of six points against Everton and Wolves will do.
Find more from Ray Hunt at the In that Number podcast, external
