Southampton suffered a damning 12th defeat of the season against Aston Villa
Russell Martin's possession-based approach is struggling to get results
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By JOE BERNSTEIN
Published: 17:30 EST, 8 December 2024 | Updated: 17:30 EST, 8 December 2024
Southampton are in danger of becoming the Premier League’s worst ever team.
Derby have the lowest points tally of the 646 teams to have completed top-flight seasons since 1992. The Rams collected a measly 11 points in 2007-08.
But Saints, having taken only five from 15 matches so far, need a serious reboot to avoid being dragged into the conversation.
Russell Martin’s Project Possession is falling apart. The Saints fans who braved Storm Darragh to see their team tippy-tappy to another defeat at Aston Villa became exasperated when they gave up more chances with kamikaze passing in their own area.
After keeper Joe Lumley then went long, to cheers from the travelling support, the ball came back for Jhon Duran to score on 24 minutes.
Russell Martin’s Project Possession is falling apart after Southampton suffered another defeat
Jhon Duran handed Aston Villa a 1-0 victory over Southampton on Saturday afternoon
Such is the disharmony in the ranks that Martin appeared later to call out his own fans. ‘We got pressed before the goal, which made Joe kick and it got a cheer and we concede within 10 seconds. It’s really important to understand why we do things,’ he said.
Those comments didn’t go down well and evidence isn’t on Martin’s side. They are four points adrift and didn’t have a shot on target on Saturday.