Since being named as Southampton manager, Will Still has won just one league game in the first six of the season. And after a 3-1 loss to Hull City, patience amongst the Saints fanbase is already wavering.
When Russell Martin came to Southampton, there was a very clear identity to get behind. But what Southampton fans are seeing compared to what Will Still is saying is complete polar opposites.
It is not entirely clear what Will Still is trying to achieve at Southampton, which this article is going to unpack.
Crunching The Numbers
The statistics behind Will Still’s tricky start as Southampton boss are not pretty.
Still has reiterated that he wants his side to press high. But out of all twenty-four Championship outfits, Southampton have won the ball in the final third the second least times – averaging 1.8 times per 90. The only team worse in this department is Phil Parkinson’s Wrexham.
The Saints have had the highest average possession in the league, an astounding 61.0%, again contrasting what Will Still has said: “We don’t want possession for the sake of it.”
1.5 goals conceded per game, it’s a team still giving away cheap goals. Perhaps scars from the Premier League relegation are still showing?
Still said post-match after losing to Hull: “I thought we’d knocked out the fact of giving away goals cheaply from what we do, but apparently not. We’re still doing it, so again that must be something that we’re not doing right, or that I’m not getting right, so I’ll take it on me & keep moving forward.”
What Still’s Trying To Do
From the get-go, Will Still promised Southampton fans he would bring high-tempo and direct football.
“We want to be proactive and entertaining,” Still said to the media when he became Saints boss.
“It’s easy to say now that we want to play sexy football, but we have to actually do it now. Being proactive is just taking initiative, being brave and positive in everything we do – it’s what I have always done and what I would love to do with this team.”
After a slow first four games of the campaign, Still reverted from a 3-4-3 to a 4-2-3-1 formation ahead of last weekend’s South Coast Derby. The team struggled, even with new signings such as Tom Fellows, and managed just one feeble shot on target.
In the second outing of Still’s preferred formation fit with new signings against Hull, just four shots on target from 71% possession followed. But were there any promising signs?
Promising Signs?
When Russell Martin came in as Southampton manager, there was a clear identity being moulded. Something for the Saints faithful to get behind. And they did. Despite a slow start to the season, they got through a rough period and gained promotion through the play-offs.
Maybe this will come given time, but the difference between Will Still’s words and what’s actually happening on the pitch is difficult to fathom.
Plenty of balls are going into the opposition box, another Will Still demand, but the team’s crossing success is just 21.6%, the joint-fifth worst in the division.
Despite this, they are averaging 6.3 crosses per 90, the most in the entire division. Better quality and conversion on the balls is clearly needed here, which is something for the players to work on.
Will Still’s RC Lens side had the ball in their own defensive third the least out of Ligue 1 sides in 2024/25, but Saints have struggled to keep it away from their centre-backs in possession so far this campaign.
There aren’t many clear signs for Saints fans to get behind at the moment, but patience may be needed before these to emerge.
But Why Isn’t It Working?
From afar, it doesn’t look as if the Southampton players know what they’re going to do when in possession.
In fairness, the Saints have plenty of control over games. The high possession averages show their grip on proceedings, but as Will Still referred to, they keep giving away cheap chances.
The best sides find patterns of play that work. Mads Roerslev to Tom Fellows down the right side was a repeated occurrence against Hull, but Ryan Manning and Fraser haven’t got things going to the same effect.
When Saints had the ball centrally, the movement of Finn Azaz and Tom Fellows moving inside were the only two outlets, both new signings. Still will hope for them to click into gear over the coming weeks.
Still’s appointment looked to bring adaptability, which is a redeeming quality that could come into showing soon. Johannes Spors will stick behind his appointment, but are the Saints good enough to achieve immediate retribution from the Championship? Sitting nineteenth in the table, things will have to change soon.
