Southampton ended their pre-season tour of France as they won 3-0 with a very impressive performance against Saint-Etienne.
Mauricio Pellegrino made only three changes to the side that drew to Brentford, as Jack Stephens, Ryan Bertrand and Manolo Gabbiadini all got their first starts of pre-season.
The first half was a dull one, with no clear cut chances from either side, but Southampton came close, with Gabbiadini just missing on a few occasions.
It wasn’t just Saints that had chances, as Saint-Etienne gained a few shots on goal nearing the end of the first 45, but Southampton looked the better side from the first half.
Half time saw only one change, as Stuart Taylor came on (yes, you heard me correctly) for Fraser Forster to make his first ever appearance in a Saints shirt.
Saint-Etienne had the first chance of the second half, as Jonathan Bamba hit the post with an effort from outside the box.
But Southampton replied with a great effort to go in front, as a Jeremy Pied cross found the head of Sofiane Boufal, but his low header was well saved by ASSE keeper Stephane Ruffier.
Southampton finally got the breakthrough in the 64th minute, as some fantastic, fast paced build up saw Matt Targett produce a fine, powerful cross into the box, and Manolo Gabbiadini rose to head home from 15-yards into the top corner to give Saints the lead.
Saints would double their lead just two minutes later, as another impressive cross from Targett found the feet of substitute James Ward-Prowse, who slotted home to give the Saints a two-goal cushion.
Saints got a third late on, as Maya Yoshida rose to Ward-Prowse’s corner to head home another for Pellegrino’s side, and cap off a fine afternoon for Southampton.
I was very impressed with the performance yesterday. We are managing to keep the same intensity throughout the game, which is great to see, as Saints consistently pushed Saint-Etienne up the field, leaking errors from their defence. I’m also happy that the squad are starting to get used to and enjoying the style of play that Pellegrino has integrated into the team, which is really exciting to see.
I was also impressed with a few players’ performances. Oriol Romeu was class as always, so I won’t bother going into that again. Sofiane Boufal was one, as he put in another good display in pre-season. His technical ability is really starting to show off, and his fitness is obviously improving, with his determination to win the ball back delightful to see. The only downside of his game right now is the chance creation, but other than that, he is making me (and hopefully many other Saints fans) excited about the prospect of the Moroccan this season.
Another player that stood out was Jeremy Pied. Not a usual starter in the Saints squad, but with Cedric still not returned from his break with Portugal, the Frenchman put in a great performance for Saints. He has looked so comfortable on the ball and loves to run up and down the right flank, consistently whipping crosses into the penalty area, and creating some good chances for Saints. I was really impressed.
Some others also impressed, such as Maya Yoshida and substitutes Targett and Ward Prowse, as they both made big impacts straight away, but overall, I was very impressed with our performance, especially in the second half.
I think that Pellegrino will be happy with the attitudes of his players, and will be looking to repeat that at home to Sevilla and Augsberg next week of the first pre-season games at St. Mary’s next week.
