The staggering Southampton FC number that must haunt Will Still - Tonda Eckert is laughing now | OneFootball

Southampton have taken their chances at a higher rate under Tonda Eckert than they did Will Still

Tonda Eckert has overseen a drastic change in results since he was named interim Southampton manager in the wake of Will Still's sacking.

It's been a month now since the exciting Belgian boss was relieved of his duties, and on the face of things, Still's time in the dugout at St Mary's will go down as a disaster.

In 13 Championship games, Southampton won just twice, one of which came on the opening day, where they had to score twice in second-half stoppage time to beat newly promoted Wrexham.

The results weren't good enough, and the position Still left the club in (21st) wasn't good enough either, but what you could say was that the poor form wasn't for a lack of trying.

A 'new manager bounce' is a well-known phrase in football, where new managers or interim managers come in and see a positive turn in performances and results, but when the underlying numbers were already positive, there isn't much for a new head coach to do, which has been the case with Southampton.

Tonda Eckert may have four wins in five, but the biggest change is that the Saints are starting to take their chances, and Will Still will be frustrated that the players weren't taking them while he was in charge.

Southampton's xG differential has halved since Will Still was sacked

The expected tables can often be skewed at the start of a season, but it usually doesn't take long for everything to even out as sides begin to hit their stride.

However, for Southampton under Will Still, the wins which their performances were warranting just weren't coming for one reason or another.

The Saints were fourth in the expected table at the time of Still's sacking, 17 places above where they actually were in the league, and they had scored just 13 goals from an expected goals of 23, underperforming the number by 10.

The numbers were in Still's favour, but the results weren't. Now, under Tonda Eckert, the performances are still there, but the chances are now being taken.

Game by game under Eckert, according to Fotmob, Southampton scored twice with 0.68 xG, three times with 1.03 xG, five times with 4.63 xG, three times with 2.46 xG and twice with 1.20 xG.

That's five straight games under the interim boss which Southampton have outperformed their expected goals. Now, they've netted 28 times from 33 xG, which is still a deficit, but one that's halved the differential under Still.

The likes of Fin Azaz and Adam Armstrong have started to take the opportunities that they were squandering under the former manager, and the results are finally warranting the amount of pressure that Southampton were always creating going forward this season.

Now, the Saints are stuck in the congested middle pack in the Championship, and they'll be hoping that more positive results can come their way over December to wind up in the top six come the new year.

Will Still will be wondering why these performances couldn't come with him in charge

Ultimately, Will Still's style of play in the Championship, especially going forward, was good. Now under Eckert, the strikers seem to have the key to putting the ball in the back of the net.

As to why is a whole different question. Sometimes, a new interim can come in and instil newfound confidence into strikers. Azaz, for example, never scored under the Belgian boss, but has five in five since Eckert took over, along with an assist. Similarly, Armstrong, who also has six goal contributions under the German interim boss, only had four under Still.

Certain managers seem to fit in better at certain clubs, and there's an argument to be said that this Southampton side are playing with a little bit less pressure and a little more freedom under Eckert due to his off-field style, which in turn makes an impressive on-field style more effective.

Or, this could all be a coincidence, and a win against an out-of-form QPR side in November was always going to be a turning point for Southampton, no matter who was in the dugout.