Since being appointed as the permanent manager of Southampton, Tonda Eckert has led his side to just one win, and have none in their last five.
Such a promising start to life under the German has been followed by fan doubt and a season that has drifted.
So why is it getting so bad, and is the 32-year-old already under massive pressure?
Eckert’s first six in charge:
After this scintillating start under Eckert, the Saints didn’t feel the need to interview any other potential successors to Will Still.
They went over two weeks to ensure, before making the 18-month appointment.
But since this, massive cracks have emerged…
Eckert’s 6 games in charge since:
The most impressive feature of Tonda Eckert’s system at Southampton in the first few games was the advancement of his side’s left and right centre-backs.
As seen in the graph, both Jack Stephens and Taylor Harwod-Bellis are high in possession.
This is why the back three was working so well – bodies were being committed and pinning the opposition back.
Rather than it being a flat back five or midfield in possession, the wing-backs pushed high and wide, allowing it to become a really aggressive frontline.
Runs in behind from centre-backs, seen in the screenshot above from when Saints played Leicester, helped in making opposition sides feel helpless against Eckert’s side.
Saints were relentless and scored eighteen times in six – free-scoring stuff.
So why did this change?
Since this run of games that made Southampton look like one of the teams to beat, Eckert’s side have been forced to face up against sides playing mid/low-blocks.
When playing against sides that stop you from having so much space between the lines, it becomes important to play around the outside of the pitch more.
Southampton’s system favours them playing through the thirds, with their only real wide players being the wing-backs.
Sides are packing out the midfield, and stopping the Saints from playing in these spaces, in turn causing a ripple effect – the centre-backs are unable to step up as much:
Eckert has tried to navigate this inability of the wide defenders being able to step up by switching around his centre-backs, especially in the Millwall match, explaining the average positions being reflected as so central in the graph above.
But with these changes not working, it may be time for Eckert to make a bigger change – and play two wide players on each side.
Formations are mainly a vessel to platform your players from, and giving Saints four options on the flanks (a wing-back and winger on each side) could combat their current issues well, while not forcing a complete system or style change.
Tonda Eckert was, quite frankly, never Southampton’s messiah.
While his early tenure showed exciting signs, it is an appointment that was always going to benefit the club longer term, than in the now.
The issue is – now is the time for points rather than process, and the results are drying up.
Southampton fans should be aiming their frustrations at the ownership group, rather than the young manager – this may not been a good time to appoint such an inexperienced boss, but it isn’t the German’s fault that he is in this position.
There is clearly plenty of work for the side who sit 14th in the Championship to do.
They’ll be looking to salvage a play-off place, but you have to assume their pre-season goal of automatic places is long gone now.
