Southampton’s season got off to a terrible start as they lost 3-0 away to Burnley on Saturday afternoon.
Three goals in the last half an hour – two from Ashley Barnes and another from Johann Berg Gudmundsson – meant that Saints received a humbling defeat at Turf Moor.
After the game, Ralph Hasenhuttl said his side looked in decent shape for an hour but things went array after Barnes put Burnley ahead.
When you lose 3-0, there won’t often be many players who come out of the game with much praise but these Saints fans were quick to point the finger at the centre backs Jack Stephens and Jannik Vestergaard.
How we stayed up last year i dont know and we we play the same defence at start of the new season so what do you expect.
— mark newman (@brokensaintly) August 10, 2019
No experienced CB . And that started last season. I like Stephen's but is he prem? Played ok 1st have. Could of gone 1 up but we all know at some point a idiotic mistake will happen. Next up liverpool. Mmm long season for us .
— Nick Graham (@nicksfc73) August 10, 2019
Terrible result, terrible performance. Everybody knew that the central defence is abysmal. That will take some getting over.
— Jeff Stanfield (@jeffstangeog) August 10, 2019
Some fans took the chance to question Hasenhuttl’s decision not to overhaul his defence in the summer.
You’ve had all transfer window sort this defense out. Never learn.
— Kieran Smith (@kierannkater98) August 10, 2019
Not remotely surprised. We all knew the issue was defence. We completely failed to address it this summer. Get what you deserve!
— E. Marsh (@edwardmarshCT) August 10, 2019
Other fans made the point that they want Maya Yoshida to play in upcoming games.
More shambolic defending after having two transfer windows to sort out. Maya Yoshida is better than those other two clowns put together.
— Martin Macqueen (@MartinMacqueen) August 10, 2019
https://twitter.com/tomoffees/status/1160241562342658051?s=20
Read Southampton Verdict
The loss to Burnley was humbling and very, very disappointing. The combination of Stephens and Vestergaard was always a worry and it was exposed against the Clarets. With the transfer window closed, Hasenhuttl is limited in what he can actually change. New signing Kevin Danso is the obvious player to come into the back four at some point, whilst Yoshida is also a decent option.
Hopefully, this was just a one-off performance with players shaking off some rust but, in truth, with Liverpool up next, next weekend could get ugly unless changes are made.
