Key talking points as Southampton FC draw with Lazio in pre-season

Summer addition Ben Brereton Diaz grabbed the opener before Lazio pulled level through Valentín Castellanos.

The second half was marked by a fight between both sets of players, which resulted in Charly Alcaraz and Alessio Romagnoli being sent off.

Here are the key talking points from Southampton's latest pre-season friendly...

An unfriendly encounter

The meaning of pre-season friendly didn’t carry much weight at St Mary’s on Wednesday evening.

The game had threatened to boil over even before both sets of players had a pull-apart brawl.

Lazio saw a number of players booked in the first half, while Charly Alcaraz had a brief scuffle with Matteo Guendouzi before the break.

Martin was pleased with the aggression his side employed but was regretful that things escalated.

Lazio and Southampton players brawl (Image: Andrew Matthews)

Charly Alcaraz was back to his best before the red

Before he was given his marching orders, Alcaraz was enjoying a successful evening.

The Argentine was impressive. He won back the ball on multiple occasions and looked bright in attack.

He developed a relationship with goalscorer Brereton Diaz in the first half and continued to impress up to the hour mark.

Some staff at Saints were already worried about Alcaraz’s potential to earn a red card. His sending-off won’t have done his reputation much good in that regard.

Charly Alcaraz looked back to his best before getting sent off. (Image: Stuart Martin)

Fast start to life at Saints

It didn't take Brereton Diaz long to grab his first goal at St Mary's.

The Chile international curled one into the corner having cut in off the left just five minutes into his first home game.

It was the perfect start for a player who is still getting up to speed in Martin's system having only joined a week ago.

The former Blackburn Rovers man has impressed Martin, who described him as smart, in his first two appearances.

Brereton Diaz was replaced at half-time, but he stands a good chance of earning a starting spot when Saints visit Newcastle on the opening weekend.

Ben Brereton Diaz scored against Lazio on his first St Mary's appearance (Image: Stuart Martin)

Ryan Manning at centre-back

Full-back Ryan Manning has moved around a lot in pre-season.

At Oxford United, he played as a defensive midfielder, but it was centre-back where Martin opted to use him on Wednesday.

Although it's not his usual position, it is one he has played for Martin previously during their time working together at Swansea.

He looked solid alongside Ronnie Edwards and Nathan Wood and produced an important tackle to block a Gustav Isaksen shot.

It remains to be seen where Manning will play during the regular season, but his latest impressive performance while being played out of position will have boosted his chances of playing a key role.

Ryan Manning looked good at centre-back (Image: Stuart Martin)