How Did Southampton Lose at Millwall — and What Comes Next for Eckert? | OneFootball

A tough one to take for Southampton, but their first loss under interim manager Tonda Eckert was a deserved one. Millwall had set out their game plan and executed it to perfection.

But why did the Saints look second-best yesterday? What did both managers have to say, and what should the Saints do ahead of their permanent managerial decision?

The Game

Southampton had been electric in the first half for the past week, scoring all eight of their goals in the opening 45. But Millwall established dominance out of possession — something Eckert wanted his Saints side to do.

In possession, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Ryan Manning operate as the full-backs. Despite being a back five, Fellows is given a licence to fulfil a winger role. Alex Neil’s men realised the threat of the full-backs, triggering constant presses when either Harwood-Bellis or Manning received the ball.

Both Millwall wingers (Femi Azeez and Aidomo Emakhu) were forcing the Saints’ full-backs to recycle possession by going backwards or sideways, without any possibility of finding an advanced man. Whether that be Armstrong dropping deeper (which he rarely did) or Azaz. This time, it was Azaz, whose objective was to find Armstrong behind.

The Irishman overhit each one of his through balls. But it was evident that they thought Armstrong could lose Jake Cooper, aiming to isolate the defender with the Saints’ number nine.

Eckert’s men maintained possession well until it came to trying to progress. Constantly misplaced passes were a sign of regression from the progress that had been made. 63% possession in the first half with 0.26 xG emphasised the effectiveness of Millwall’s press, who had created far better chances, accumulating an xG of 1.03.

Winger Leo Scienza was out with an illness, and his absence was notable. Jay Robinson never settled into the game. Millwall were aggressive, and the 19-year-old struggled, with his only chance bobbling underneath his feet. Scienza sparks life into the players and the Southampton faithful, which was crucially lacking.

A questionable goal was disallowed for Caleb Taylor, who supposedly fouled Gavin Bazunu, despite his foot being no more than waist height. It was a warning for the Saints, who slowly grew towards the end of the first half.

Second Half Chaos

The second half was orchestrated chaos by Millwall. The Den was pounding, and Neil’s side fed on it. Millwall started brightly, with both wingers working Gavin Bazunu early on. Femi Azeez was the main threat, and Ryan Manning had a hard time preventing him from both cutting in to shoot and putting crosses into the danger area.

Ten minutes into the second half saw the Saints snatch a corner. The cross came in, and the ref blew his whistle. At first, it was unclear, but the replays showed Jake Cooper drag crossing-target Harwood-Bellis down. Armstrong stepped up to the spot and rifled it into the top right corner. A goal against the run of play completely.

The 62nd minute saw Joe Aribo come on for Jay Robinson. The latter hadn’t impressed, but his replacement had no impact. The 29-year-old midfielder, who had reportedly wanted to leave this summer, won zero ground duels and made no tackles in a period of sitting back for Southampton.

Millwall inevitably fired back with Azeez finding heaps of space, void of any Saints players, and hitting it perfectly into the bottom left corner. Oriol Romeu made his second Southampton debut—one that he’ll look to improve on as he gains more minutes in the tank.

Finn Azaz aimed to make it four consecutive games with a goal, but a brilliant save by Max Crocombe kept the visitors quiet, as Millwall kept pushing for a second.

And a second came.

Caleb Taylor, whose goal had been disallowed in the first half, rocketed a long-range finish into the top right corner, with an xG of just 0.04, leaving Bazunu with no chance.

Six minutes passed as the Saints won a free kick. Set-piece specialist Ryan Manning whipped a cross in, finding an unmarked Harwood-Bellis. The Englishman steered it towards goal, but Crocombe parried it wide. It fell to Azaz, who had no hesitation, pouncing on the rebound and scoring a late equaliser.

A point at the Den would’ve been a great result, given the circumstances. But it was not to be. Millwall saw the Saints begin to sit back and capitalised on it. Less than a minute was left of added time when a cross came in from the left, finding a free Tristan Crama at the back post, who nestled it home and led the full-time celebrations.

The Lions took all three points, climbing to third and leaving Southampton languishing in 14th.

Managers Thoughts

Tonda Eckert realised his side needed to grind out for the point, especially with how the game turned out. He said:

Alex Neil was proud of his side’s effort, praising many of the academy lads who stepped up due to injuries, saying:

What Should Saints Do?

It’s clear Eckert has established a foundation at St Mary’s. How he responds against Birmingham next week, however, could decide whether he’s given the permanent job.

From scoring fifteen in five to clear tactical evolution, there have been major improvements after their poor start to the campaign. Even scoring two today was reminiscent of what has improved. While it led to a disappointing outcome, Eckert’s bright start to life at Southampton has bought him time.

If the German can demonstrate his ability to bounce back and regain that winning feeling, the permanent role is almost guaranteed to be his.