Two questions and two answers as Southampton script forgettable record at home | OneFootball

Southampton's uninspiring 3-1 result led the Saints to suffer a first Premier League double defeat against Bournemouth.

It's been more than two days since Southampton was dominated by Bournemouth. Honestly, derby defeats are a massive blow, and losing at home is a nightmare result.

As a result, the outcome has inflicted even more misery apart from losing a Premier League game. This is because Saturday was the first occasion when Southampton succumbed to two top flight losses in a single campaign against their Southern opponents.

Two questions and two answers as Southampton script forgettable record at home

That being said, let's head over to the top talking points from Southampton's quiet weekend at St. Mary's.

Two Answers

Will Ivan Juric do a complete defensive makeover?

Southampton fans must have felt cheerful when Juric announced that he would consider various options in the three centre-back formation. Among them, Nathan Wood was a deserving candidate to get a starting spot after a lengthy backup role.

So, how would he perform here? To summarise, Wood's only blemish was leaving Ouattara unmarked assuming that Bednarek would make the clearance. Rest, he made a few recoveries inside the box before being recalled early.

Should Dibling start in place of either Sulemana or Onuachu?

The Burnley game must have cleared Juric's doubts about the best striker combinations. Paul Onuachu is gradually scoring goals and Sulemana's advancing runs meant that Dibling should be dropped in favour of starting the above duo.

As expected, Juric rested the Englishman again but his attacking teammates backed that selection decision. Onuachu and Sulemana combined for Southampton's goal and made heroic attempts to spark a comeback.

Two Questions

Could Southampton have secured a draw with an improved defending?

Watching a significant quality gap between Ramsdale and his fellow defenders, it's wise to imagine whether this match could have been tied. The 26-year-old kept on making game-changing saves but a sloppy defensive show didn't compliment it well.

Although the latter department stepped up after half-time, Bournemouth had already done enough to complete a 3-1 win by then.

Why was Albert Gronbaek made an unused substitute again?

Observing Southampton's chance creation phase, mostly Mateus Fernandes and Joe Aribo share the responsibility of passing the ball up front. Those two have been efficient in this role but Juric must not overburden them with initiating the attack apart from their regular midfield duties.

Already, the Saints are dealing with multiple injury issues and wouldn't want any of the above to get sidelined as well. Hence, Gronbaek must be given more playing time at least as a substitute to further get the best out of Fernandes and Aribo.