Five Things We’ve Learnt From Stoke 0-2 Southampton: Saints’ Defensive Improvements & New Striker? | OneFootball

It’s the first clean sheet away from home in the league for Southampton since December 2024. We’d have to go even further back for their last clean sheet with a victory on the road. However, Tonda Eckert and his men won’t be looking back anytime soon.

The German head coach set up perfectly, with an ideal balance of pragmatism and attacking potential. But what did we learn from today’s clash, and could it be the start of another run for the South Coast side?

1. Stoke Aren’t Ready…

The performance today from the Potters highlighted many significant issues, despite their injury situation. Glimpses of half-chances weren’t enough to mount over an xG of 1, while having just one less shot than their opponents, who had an xG of 1.59.

New striker signing Milan Smit received little to no service today, with Saints defenders Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Jack Stephens snuffing out any of his chances on the ball.

Play-off shouts were justified at the start of the campaign. Mark Robins had his side punching above their weight and making serious waves at the upper half of the table. Their dip in form was expected, however, with just four wins in their last 16 Championship outings now.

2. Harwood-Bellis Must Stay… with Jack Stephens

There’s no doubt it’s been a heavily disappointing campaign for Southampton, with defensive problems at the forefront. But Taylor Harwood-Bellis, despite external transfer interest, must remain a Saints player after the winter window deadline.

His role in build-up is crucial for Eckert’s tactical style. A defender that’s both comfortable playing around the back amidst an opposition press and naturally finds attacking players in dangerous spaces is what these Premier League sides see in him – and today was further evidence of it. He picked out a perfectly weighted pass to Tom Fellows for the first goal and consistently found players like Finn Azaz by breaking the opposition front line.

Jack Stephens has been under much scrutiny thus far, yet defensive displays are noticeably improved when he’s in the back line. His partnership with Harwood-Bellis hasn’t been perfect, but consistency needs to remain for the Saints to continue keeping clean sheets.

3. Daniel Peretz is a HUGE improvement

It’s performances like these that elevate teams up the table. From saving a shot destined to find the top corner to fingertipping a low-driven shot onto the post in the final stages, Peretz put on a comfortable display in the Saints’ net.

Bar a hiccup or two, the 25-year-old goalkeeper was reliable coming out for crosses and on the ball. Knowing when to launch the ball up the field and play short was critical. Too many a time have the Saints continued to constantly play short, becoming predictable.

Peretz has come in and provided more reassurance than those before; Eckert will be eager to see his only signing continue to shore up the defensive line as they head into the final period of the campaign.

4. The Four-Back Must Stay

Eckert has slowly realised that his side is suited to the 4-back. When Stoke did find their way through on the counter, it was clear to see that the Saints kept a compact back four, limiting any space in behind and ensuring a solid shape remained.

Players were often dragged out, leaving spaces open, but the ability for wingers and the two defensive midfielders to drop back felt seamless. Goalscorer Flynn Downes was back to his best today, shutting down any chances within the centre and acting as a pivotal outlet for Peretz to play through.

The additional midfielder – Finn Azaz – relished at the top of the midfield three, operating in space where he could thrive. While he’s been widely and unfairly criticised for being ‘lazy’, he constantly pressed and forced Stoke backwards. Winning six recoveries and his fair share of duels (5/10), the Irishman will be pleased with his performance today, especially as he was crucially back on the scoresheet too.

5. Southampton need a new striker.

It was reported ahead of the window that Tonda Eckert saw the goalkeeper and striker positions as necessary places to reinforce. With one being checked off, only the position of striker is left to be filled.

Both Adam Armstrong and Cameron Archer were left out of the squad today. While Armstrong’s absence was due to a ‘knock’, Archer’s was confirmed to be for transfer-related reasons. While it’s completely unclear who the replacement could be, today showed one thing: at least one signing must be brought in.

It would be nonsensical to believe that Ross Stewart could be the main striker for the rest of the campaign. It’s been good to see him last this long, and Saints fans will hope his probable last few months at the club will be on the pitch, rather than in the medical facilities.

A new striker will need to be a mix of physicality and ability to play in behind. Having Armstrong provides the option for an agile striker, while Stewart possesses the height and physical stature. Eckert and the Southampton scouting team must find a suitable player who fits a mixture of these two, ensuring quality but also sufficient squad planning in the short and long-term future.

The foundation is there for Southampton — now the recruitment has to prove that this win was the start of something for this season, not a one-off.