Southampton FC Extended Player Ratings - Lavia stars as Saints fold in defeat to Spurs

One game in, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have conceded four goals, scored one, and raised a whole load of uncomfortable questions. A team performance that was far from good enough included a number of meek individual displays.

So, for the first time this season, here are the Saints extended player ratings…

READ MORE: How to collapse like Saints in three easy steps...

The rules:

Each week we will rewatch the recent game as many times as necessary in order to review every player’s performance.

- Each player will receive a grade on a sliding scale of A+ to F

- It’s important to note that we do not know the specific tactical instructions given to each player so we will attempt to grade with what we can see

- Each week we’ll choose a few players for our ‘standouts’ section (why may not exist every week depending on the quality of the performance)

- Only players who play more than 15 minutes in each game will receive a grade so late substitutes will almost always get a N/A

- The results each week will be tracked with the overall top performer awarded Player of the Season in May

Let’s get into it…

Gavin Bazunu: C+

One of the major talking points of pre-season was answered 60 minutes before Saints took to the pitch in North London as Gavin Bazunu was handed his full debut ahead of Alex McCarthy. It was the correct decision. Whereas McCarthy might hold the edge in terms of experience, the 20-year-old Irish international certainly has him beat in raw talent.

That said, it was by no means a perfect Premier League debut for Bazunu. Faced with the rather chastening experience of acting as the last line of protection behind a porous defence, Bazunu conceded four times to Spurs’ impressive and expensively assembled attack but it’s hard to fault him for any of the goals.

Bazunu pictured in pre-season. Image by: Matt Temple (Image: Saints goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu. Image: Matt Temple)

Bazunu was given no chance with free headers from Ryan Sessegnon and Eric Dier before Mohammed Salisu compounded the collective misery by putting through his own net. Moments later, Dejan Kulusevski found the bottom as Bazunu was forced to retrieve the ball from his goal yet again.

Despite being beaten four times, there was enough on display from Bazunu to retain the confidence of his manager, teammates, and the club’s supporters. He made one excellent save to deny Harry Kane and keep his side in the game in the first half while also doing well to push wide a fierce long-distance drive from Ben Davies. He also looked composed and confident leaving his line to claim crosses.

With his feet, Bazunu showed signs of nerves. He completed just over 30% of his total passes and just four of 24 long-range passes. On multiple occasions, he played it straight out of play but it’s hard to be too critical considering the nerves all around him. In one instance he had to react quickly to stop a Jan Bednarek back-pass from going straight in before hacking a clearance away in the second half under significant pressure. The goalkeeper is one of few to leave North London with credit in the bank.

Mohammed Salisu: D

Oh, what everyone associated with Saints would do to have the Mohammed Salisu from last winter back in the team. This new version, the one that struggled desperately through the back-half of last season, is far less confidence-inspiring. Salisu should be a rare defensive building block for Hasenhuttl, but he’s looking closer to a liability - majorly reinforced by the disastrous own goal the Ghanaian scored on Saturday.

Speaking after the 4-1 defeat, Hasenhuttl didn’t bother holding back saying: “Normally we cannot concede a goal here. It’s easy to clear with the right foot. This is simply not good enough at this level.”

Whatever you think of the Saints boss, he’s right about this. It was an amateurish moment from the centre-back and with so many issues at the back, they can not be handing out goals like that.

It’s a major shame because Salisu actually started the game well, looking his physically imposing self while covering lots of ground to help out his fellow defenders. It’s important to note, he was given an extremely tough job on the left side of the back three, frequently forced to drift wide in order to cover for the marauding Moussa Djenepo.

Here’s one example of that below. The ball is played into the feet of Kane who immediately touches it into the highlighted space where Kulusevski is moving into.

With Djenepo pushed higher up the pitch, Salisu is forced to shift all the way over the touchline in order to chase down Kulusevski.

There were many more examples of this (more included below) but it’s fair to ask if the Saints defenders - particularly the two wide centre-backs - are being asked to do too much. Not only are they expected to get up the pitch when their side has the ball (as seen in the example below) but they also have to cover for the wing-backs who largely were on the pitch as an offensive weapon rather than defensive.

Below is another example. Djenepo is high up the pitch and Salisu sprints forward in an attempt to press. He gets nowhere close, leaving acres of space behind him.

Attempting to recover, he turns his back and sprint back into the uncovered area. He gets back in time, but it opens up a huge amount of space in the middle of the pitch for Kane to find Son, the attack eventually ending with a very decent Bazunu save.

All day, Spurs toyed with Saints in this way; encouraging them to press and then hitting them in the space behind in between the wing-backs and wide centre-backs. It worked. 

With defenders like Salisu - clearly out of form and seemingly lacking confidence - the back three/five could help add protection but with such an attacking wing-back like Djenepo, it’s actually just stretching the defenders further.

Jan Bednarek: D+

Some Saints fans aren’t delighted to see Bednarek still at the club and it appears he’ll not only be sticking around, but playing a prominent role. That doesn’t mean he’s particularly effective. Operating as the deepest of the three central defenders, Bednarek really played as a sweeper, the last line of defence before Bazunu while starting attacks.

Here’s a quick look at just how deep the Polish international was utilised.

Unfortunately, the set-up came with its flaws. The first was that with Bednarek so deep, there was barely any semblance of an offside line, something Son routinely exploited with smart runs from out to in.

Below is one example of that from early in the first half. Bednarek is by far the deepest player on the pitch, marking Son as Spurs play the ball around their midfield.

When the time finally arrives for Son to make his move, he has all the time and space in the world with Bednarek playing him on onside.

In theory this formation suits Bednarek because he doesn’t have to press or fly forward, something that caused huge issues last season particularly away at Brentford. But you also can’t afford to give someone like Heung-min Son so much time and space to make his runs into the channels and this system encourages forwards to test the non-existent offside line.

Yan Valery: D-

The Yan Valery experiment seemed to last all of of 45 minutes. After an extremely impressive pre-season, Valery was rewarded with a start on the right side of Saints’ back three. It didn’t go well for him.

As previously discussed when looking at Salisu’s performance, this system gives a huge amount of work to the wide centre-backs although Valery did have Kyle Walker-Peters for help. Valery really struggled quite desperately. He failed to press Son as the South Korean picked out Eric Dier’s head for Spurs’ second goal (seen below), while he has a really worrying habit of failing to spot danger behind him.

Against Monaco, Wissam Ben Yedder was gifted a huge chance when Valery failed to check his blindside while the same happened in the 30th minute at Spurs, allowing Son to steal in a fire at goal.

But it was on the ball that truly set alarm bells wringing. Perhaps Saints’ most impressive defender with the ball at his feet in pre-season, Valery seemed nervous from the offset on Saturday and his touch let him down horribly. He completed just 68.2% of his passes - the lowest completion percentage of all 20 outfield starters - and was dispossessed three times, also a high-mark of Saints players.

He did rescue his day in a way with a very decent cross in the direction of Adam Armstrong that eventually led to Ward-Prowse’s goal but it’s hard to trust Valery after this performance and he was justifiably hooked at half-time.

Moussa Djenepo: C-

Not an easy player to judge, Djenepo did quite a lot of good and quite a lot of bad. Stationed at right-wing-back, Djenepo largely played as a right winger, focusing on the attacking part of his game. It was going forward where he made a positive impact, picking out Ward-Prowse with a really clever chipped cross to open the scoring but defensively he was closer to a liability.

Within the opening moments, he was badly beaten down the line before Salisu came across to clear it for a corner. Meanwhile, the winger-cum-wing-back must take some of the blame for Spurs’ first goal as Valery must do for the second. Again, there was an element of laziness to the marking as Djenepo failed to get out to Kulusevski, allowing him the time to shift the ball onto his stronger left foot and whip in a treacherous cross to the back-post.

Djenepo definitely makes this Saints attack more unpredictable and probably more dangerous, but his chaotic nature is likely not what this already-struggling defence needs.

Kyle Walker-Peters: C-

Another player with a slightly hard game to judge, Walker-Peters did a lot well, getting forward to help support the attack while also recovering to help a beleagured defence.

The England international managed 53 touches of the ball, fourth-most in a Saints shirt, while his heat-map below showcases just how much ground he covered.

Walker-Peters' heat map vs Spurs. Image by: WhoScored

Unfortuantely, he was also at least partly at fault for Spurs’ first goal, failing to win his one vs one dual with Sessegnon despite checking over his shoulder on multiple occasions to track the Spurs wing-back. Saints can’t afford those kinds of errors, particularly not from one of their better players.

Romeo Lavia: A-

Wow, just wow. Amidst a sea of chaos and destruction, 18-year-old Romeo Lavia stood tall on his Premier League debut. Truthfully, despite his age, he appeared the calmest Saints player on the pitch. 

We won’t go too far down the Lavia rabbit-hole as a more extensive piece focusing on the Saints debutant is in the works, but it was a seriously impressive introduction to life in the Premier League. On the ball, he displayed his range of passing with multiple perfect long balls while he kept things ticking over with short passes as well. Off the ball, he constantly filled in the gaps in defence while staying disciplined in his role of protector of the back four.

Romeo Lavia’s passing vs Spurs was a real thing of beauty.

Two examples below as he plays a diagonal to KWP’s chest before spotting JWP’s streaking run and placing it onto his foot. Precision.

Reminder: All this (and more) on his Premier League debut. #SaintsFC have a gem 💎 pic.twitter.com/69oO8GoOxA

— Benjy Nurick (@BenjyNurick) August 7, 2022

“There was a reason why he got the chance to start immediately,” Hasenhuttl said of the talented teen after the heavy defeat on Saturday.

Not too many positives today but how good was Romeo Lavia?

(#SaintsFC rank vs Spurs)

65 Touches (2nd)
51 Passes (1st)
96.1% Pass Accuracy (2nd)
2 Tackles (T-1st)
4 Fouls won (1st)

Some way to introduce yourself to the Premier League 👏 pic.twitter.com/XsBfXNTxWk

— Benjy Nurick (@BenjyNurick) August 6, 2022

There are problems in this team as a whole but in Lavia, Saints have a gem.

James Ward-Prowse: B-

Top scorer last season with ten goals in the Premier League, Ward-Prowse got his personal tally up and running after 12 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a smart volley past Lloris.

The Saints captain wasn’t as heavily involved as usual, touching the ball 52 times (fifth-most in his team), but he was typically energetic as he frequently led his side’s press.

Ward-Prowse also created four chances, second-most after Leeds’ Jack Harrison for the first Premier League weekend. He wasn’t perfect, but Ward-Prowse continues to rise when others fall.

Oriol Romeu: D

With Lavia set to become a regular at the base of the Saints midfield, Romeu was utilised in a far less defensive position on the left of the midfield three. In truth, he struggled.

Seemingly unsure whether to push forward or drop back, the game largely happened around Romeu as he struggled to make his impact felt. He did, however, complete more than 96% of his passes as he continued to be a reliable operator in possession. 

It was off the ball though that he failed to stop the waves of Spurs attacks. At various points, Romeu was well off the pace, chasing shadows.

A perfect example of that could be seen in the build-up to Spurs’ fourth goal. The ball is played towards Cristian Romero and as it’s rolling to him, Romeu steps up to press the centre-back or attempt to intercept the ball.

Except he doesn’t get anywhere close and is so slow that the Spurs defender is able to easily touch it past him and drive into the vacated space.

One game doesn’t signal the end of Romeu’s impressive Saints career, but his team needs a lot more from him.

Joe Aribo: C-

Brought in from Rangers in July, Hasenhuttl still hasn’t quite figured out how to get the most from Aribo. In pre-season he played as a second striker, winger and attacking midfielder but it was up front alongside Adam Armstrong where he started at Spurs.

He battled to get into the game as Saints struggled to build any sort of consistent pressure. 

The best of Aribo’s performance came on the relatively rare occasions when he did get the ball, offering a calm presence in attack as he helped link things together.

A prime example of that came in the early stages of the first half. With Saints penned in around their box, Djenepo breaks forward with the ball but has no options ahead of him. That is until Aribo makes a smart run across the Spurs defence into open space.

The pass isn’t perfect, but Aribo gets there first, clips it past the Spurs defender, and eventually plays it to Armstrong.

A useful physical foil to Armstrong, Aribo showed promising signs but unfortunately, the good was canceled out by a moment of extremely slack marking that allowed Dier to steal in and score. You can’t switch off for a second in the Premier League. Hopefully, Aribo knows that now.

Adam Armstrong: D

After a supremely disappointing first season on the South Coast, there has been hope that the new campaign would provide the fresh start Armstrong has so desperately needed. A pair of goals in pre-season and a starting berth for the trip to Spurs pushed that narrative on further.

But once he stepped onto the pitch, it really did not go his way. Barely involved, Armstrong managed just 14 touches of the ball, the least of any starter for both sides. He had one shot, flashed well wide of the target and ran around without doing much. In fairness, his teammates weren’t a major help as Armstrong cut an isolated figure.

To get the most out of the former Blackburn striker, you have to take advantage of his pace and movement to run in behind the defence. Saints don’t seem aware or capable of picking out these runs. 

A great example came midway through the first half. As Romeu brings the ball out of defence, Armstrong comes short and then spins away from the two Spurs defenders on him.

Breaking into space, he calls for the ball but the pass doesn’t come.

He gets even more free as his run continues but still the pass doesn’t arrive.

Eventually, he’s left throwing his hands up after Romeu opts to play it back to Djenepo once the Spurs pressure arrives.

Quite simply, there’s no point having Armstrong on the pitch if you’re not going to utiilise his best attributes. And while he was largely anonymous, he also wasn’t helped by his teammates.

Substitutes:

Stuart Armstrong: C-

Replacing Adam Armstrong at half-time, Stuart was thrust into the ‘striker’ role that he closed out pre-season in. He was more involved than Adam and got all over the top of the pitch as evidenced by his touch map below.

Stuart Armstrong's heat map vs Spurs. Image by: WhoScored

But his most impactful moment came when he conceded possession to ignite the counter-attack for Spurs’ third goal. No one came out of this game unscathed, Armstrong included.

Jack Stephens: C-

A surprise replacement for Valery at half-time, Stephens almost suffered a disastrous start to his own 2022/23 campaign when he got sucked in and allowed Sessegnon to make a blind-side run beyond the Saints defence. Sessegnon finished into the bottom corner but fortunately, the flag went up.

Stephens was by no means awful, he certainly wasn’t worse than any of Saints’ starting defenders but it is bizarre that he was utilised ahead of Armel Bella-Kotchap.

Romain Perraud: C

On for Djenepo with just over a quarter of an hour to go, Perraud kept a clean sheet - in a way. Saints did look better defensively with the left-back on the pitch but the game was over by that point and Spurs started to remove their foot from the gas pedal after making it 4-1.

Ibrahima Diallo: N/A

Replaced Romeu for the final 15 minutes. Didn’t do enough to warrant a rating, good or bad.

Nathan Redmond: N/A

Brought on for Walker-Peters in stoppage time. Nothing else to say.

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