RYAN Manning believes Saints put in a "benchmark" performance against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night but admits he still has things to learn.

Southampton dominated the ball against the newly promoted side, finishing the game with a staggering 80 per cent of possession.

Russell Martin’s side set a new Championship record for passes completed in the first half (477) on their way to a 1-2 opening-day victory over Wednesday.

However, for all of their possession, Southampton had to wait until the 87th minute for Che Adams to grab what transpired to be the winning goal.

“It was the perfect start really,” Manning noted after his competitive Southampton debut.

“Obviously, we would have preferred to have not conceded from a set piece, but in terms of fixtures, a Friday night fixture on TV with everyone watching is probably the hardest one to get on the opening weekend.

“Everyone was tuning in to see the new Southampton playing football and we put on a dominant display.

“We were probably lacking a little on the clinical side, but we still created 24 odd chances.

“It’s a completely new style of football for everybody to learn, so to have come out and perform like that five weeks into it is a testament to the staff and the group for being able to implement it, and to the boys for taking it on board.

“That’s going to be the benchmark going forward this season. That’s going to be the style we play every week, no matter who we play against.

“There will be some interesting games this season where teams come with different ideas for how to break us down and stop us playing out, so it’s up to us as a group to build on this and to try and get better and more clinical.

“I supposed it’s fitting that we scored the winner in front of the away end which was brilliant for them.

"It’s been a few months since they’ve seen their team win a game. Hopefully, this is the first of many wins this season.

“Winning is a habit and we have to make sure we get into the habit of winning week in and week out.”

Daily Echo: Manning joined Saints from Swansea this summer on a free transferManning joined Saints from Swansea this summer on a free transfer (Image: Stuart Martin)

Manning’s previous experience of playing under Martin was clear to see in South Yorkshire.

Only Will Smallbone, who Martin has previously revealed he tried to sign at Swansea, completed more passes (142) than the Irish full-back (137).

Additionally, the 27 year old recorded the highest number of touches (174), made Southampton’s joint most tackles (2) and created two chances.

Despite continuing to play a starring role for the former Scotland international, Manning concedes he still has things he needs to learn about the system.

“It’s a completely unique style of football. His philosophy is very different to most managers, but having lived it for two years and done it week in and week out it’s definitely given me an advantage knowing it before I came in.

“I’m trying to help as much as I can. It’s an ever-evolving philosophy that you have to keep working and keep trying different things every week and keep building on it.

“I suppose all I’m trying to do is help out some of the boys with bits of information that I have picked up in the past or moments in games that I’ve seen before.

“I think for the boys to have performed like that after five weeks of learning the system just shows how good the players are in the changing room.”

Upon joining Saints, Manning revealed in an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo that he felt as though his final season at Swansea was the best season of his career.

He laid much of the credit for finishing the 2022-23 campaign with a career-high five goals and ten assists to working with the current Southampton manager.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that he followed the 37 year old coach to the south coast, and Manning himself isn’t surprised that his new teammates have similar feelings towards playing under Martin.

“Everyone is loving the style of football,” the Galway-born defender added. “I don’t think there’s anyone who is going to say they don’t want the ball for that much in a game.

“They are all enjoying it and they are such good footballers that it’s only little things that they come and ask about.

“The staff give so much information during the week that there is almost no stone left unturned. Now, it's just about building on it.

“This was a good performance with some good stats, but there is loads that we need to improve on. It’s about being hungry to get better and keep winning.”

A total of 15 minutes were added at the end of Friday night's fixture, following a change in EFL rules, aimed at increasing the amount of time the ball is in play.

While some may see the extra minutes as a further opportunity to drop points, Manning believes the new guidelines will play into Southampton's hands.

“The manager spoke about that before the game. It probably suits us now that the time-wasting stuff is going.

"Teams can’t slow down too much and we can wear them down by keeping them and the ball moving.

"I think that’s probably why they touched the ball three of four times in the final nine minutes of added time.

"That is part of the game plan, it’s about going right until the last minute. It doesn’t matter if you win it in the first minute or the last minute, as long as you get three points."