BRENTFORD, ENGLAND - AUGUST 31: Southampton manager Russell Martin during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Southampton FC at Brentford Community Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Matt Watson/Southampton FC via Getty Images)
Southampton manager Russell Martin has a very particular way that he wants his sides to play with possession the key to success according to the Saints boss.
It is an approach that has worked for Russell Martin as he has gone from his first managerial job at MK Dons in League One to the Premier League with Southampton in just five years.
However, with every jump in level has come increased attention and scrutiny and Martin is learning the hard way that there is no place to hide in the Premier League.
This is especially the case when you lose your first three games in the competition as Southampton have and Martin spoke out on some of the criticism of his tactics after a 3-1 defeat to Brentford last time out.
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Chris Sutton believes Southampton Russell Martin is wrong with British claim
Martin has dealt with accusations of a lack of Plan B and naivety throughout his managerial career and claimed recently that the narrative around his style of play is purely because he is a young British manager.
Player turned pundit Chris Sutton was asked about these comments on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast he co-hosts, where he began by talking up Martin as a coach, saying: “First of all I’ve got a lot of admiration for Russell Martin. I like him.
“I thought he did a really good job last season in terms of getting Southampton up and actually I think towards the end of last season when Bazunu got injured and McCarthy came into the team team they tweaked the style of play a little bit and they were a little more direct.
“I think you have to have principles of play and Russell is going to stick to his principles and I respect that in many ways.”
However, Sutton could not disagree more with Martin’s claim that much of the criticism of his style is down to the fact he is British, adding: “I think his comment about if he wasn’t British that people wouldn’t be jumping on this, I think that is plainly wrong.
“You think of Vincent Kompany and his Burnley team last season, I can think of Daniel Farke and the couple of seasons that he was in the Premier League with Norwich getting criticised for sticking with the principles.”
Martin must fine tune rather than overhaul Southampton style
Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard clears the ball despite the attentions of Southampton’s Joe Aribo during the Premier League match between Brentford FC…
Sutton did go on to add: “Maybe he does need to be a little bit more adaptable, and that’s not a criticism of him because you have to have a way of playing, you have to have your beliefs.”
That is a point that most of a Southampton persuasion will agree with, particularly when you consider that four of the five league goals the Saints have conceded this season have come as a direct result of mistakes playing out from the back.
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Clearly there are some concessions to be made by Martin on his approach if Southampton are to have any joy in the Premier League but that is not to say that his side cannot play possession-dominant, neat football.
Rather that a slightly more pragmatic style could see Southampton find more success against the higher quality of opposition in the top flight as they look to get valuable points on the board starting against Manchester United on Saturday.
