Two questions and answers as Saints waste opportunity to claim back-to-back wins | OneFootball

An FA Cup roundup of the buzzing talking points from Southampton's lackluster defeat to Burnley.

Compared to the other Premier League teams, a win holds a huge significance for Southampton fans. Though a rare occurrence, it's enough to excite many Southampton fans about dreaming of the possibility of another victory.

Well, that did happen once under Russell Martin earlier. Unfortunately, Ivan Juric's impressive Saints couldn't replicate that achievement in the FA Cup.

Thus, let's explore the top talking points from this home defeat.

Two questions and answers as Saints waste opportunity to claim back-to-back wins

To start things off, we'll visit the two answers we got from this monotonous 1-0 result. Afterward, we will observe the two emerging questions from Saturday's thought provoking upset.

Two Answers

Will Ivan Juric change defenders or the defensive formation?

Ever since Juric nodded that Southampton were running short on fit centre backs, the Saints have been thinking of various lineup scenarios. Among them, the popular choices felt bringing back Nathan Wood or reshaping the backline.

Surprisingly, the Croatian did neither of them. Instead, he left the home fans in disbelief by fielding Welington in the central defence.

One, which turned out to be a good decision as the match progressed.

What to expect from Tyler Dibling's first returning game?

After spending around a month without playing, the Burnley match was tipped to be Dibling's injury comeback match. In all honesty, every player takes time to acclimate to his previous form after his recovery.

Hence, the expectation from Dibling wasn't too much. The forward didn't make a bad return either, and good performances will gradually come from the 18-year-old.

Two Questions

How does the Burnley result compare to last season's Gillingham defeat?

Recalling the previous season, this FA Cup knockout fixture was a much similar match as that disappointing Gillingham game. Both matches saw Southampton regarded as the heavy favourites, but the outcome was unpleasant for the Saints.

As a result, it wouldn't be wrong to consider this result as another waking call. One which could still help Southampton prepare for the remaining matches.

When will Ivan Juric replace James Bree in the heart of the defence?

Going by Southampton's previous three matches, it's easy to conclude that James Bree is the most error-prone defender. And that was no different against Burnley, where he slipped to give away a great scoring chance to the visitors.

Fortunately, that didn't found the back of the net. Still, it's high time that Juric must consider playing other defenders in Bree's role.