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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
In just four Premier League games so far this season, Southampton have already used three different systems under Ralph Hasenhuttl, and with contrasting results to say the least.
What were they?
In the opening two fixtures against Burnley and Liverpool, the former RB Leipzig boss adopted a 3-4-3 formation and a 3-5-2 system respectively, in which Ryan Bertrand and Yan Valery started as wing-backs with Nathan Redmond and Che Adams as a two-man strike-force in the latter – Danny Ings joined them up top against his former side Burnley.
In the two most recent outings against Brighton and Manchester United, Hasenhuttl switched things up to a 4-2-2-2 system – supposedly his preferred formation according to Transfermarkt – in which a common four-man backline was adopted with two central midfielders, two wide attackers and two central strikers.
How did they get on?
Well, the two games with three-at-the-back ended miserably with no points amassed, five goals conceded and one scored.
The two fixtures using 4-2-2-2 saw the Saints record a win over Brighton and grab a point against Manchester United.
Whilst it would be easy to say that the 4-2-2-2 system is better based on the aforesaid, let’s put the games under the microscope a bit more.
The South Coast side’s games against Liverpool and Manchester United don’t properly reflect the two systems given the quality of the opposition, so with that said, let’s look at the Burnley and Brighton games more closely.
The Saints embarked on just six dribbles against the Clarets, whilst being far more adventurous against the Seagulls having completed 10.
There was also a huge rise in the amount of tackles – just seven were completed against Sean Dyche’s men, whilst 19 were made at the Amex Stadium.
One notable difference from the two games is that Southampton’s completed dribbles against Brighton came from more dangerous areas in the final third, whereas their dribbles at Turf Moor came from relatively harmless positions out wide – despite the wing-backs, it seems as if Hasenhuttl’s 3-4-3 didn’t offer the width he would’ve hoped for in the right areas.
The bottom line appears to be that the Saints looked far more narrow and unimaginative in a 3-4-3 formation, where there was little space in between the lines for their danger-men such as Redmond to run into and roam around in.
You could also argue, based off those numbers, that the additional midfielder made things too cluttered with little space to manoeuvre in, but somehow still lacked the solidity it should’ve provided with five goals conceded in two games using it.
Hasenhuttl and Southampton seem much more comfortable in the 4-2-2-2 system, to say the least.
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