Southampton assets have it all to do as Almirón impact on Pérez continues

Southampton options have it all to do in their second Double Gameweek 35 match after losing 3-1 at Newcastle on Saturday.

In the last week or so, there was a rush to purchase Saints players given their budget-friendly prices, but also because they top the Fantasy Football Scout season ticker for appealing fixtures between now and the end of the season.

No team has a kinder combination of matches in the last three Gameweeks than Southampton, who host Bournemouth and Huddersfield either side of a Gameweek 37 trip to West Ham.

However, it was a disappointing performance for Ralph Hasenhüttl’s men at St James’ Park, which might cast doubt on their Fantasy credentials for the home stretch.

Newcastle United 3-1 Southampton

Goals: Ayoze Pérez x3 (£6.1m) | Mario Lemina (£4.7m)

Assists: Isaac Hayden (£4.3m), Salomón Rondón (£5.9m), Matt Ritchie (£5.8m) | Stuart Armstrong (£5.1m)

Maya Yoshida (£4.1m) was by far Southampton’s most threatening player in their 3-1 defeat to Newcastle on Saturday afternoon. He had three efforts in the box, more than any of his colleagues, and arguably could have had a hat-trick with some improved accuracy.

However, it was telling that the player who offered the most goal threat was a centre-back, as the Saints weren’t able to live up to their billing in the first match of Double Gameweek 35.

Statistically, it was a mixed afternoon for Nathan Redmond (£5.3m) who did not register a single shot in the box or one on target either – although he was top for chances created. That came just a week after he scored a brace in the Gameweek 34 win over Wolves. It was further evidence of Redmond’s inability to produce as well on the road as he does at St. Mary’s. In his last four at home, he has averaged 1.5 shots in the box, but just 0.8 in his last four away.

It is possible that Southampton’s problems on Saturday afternoon stemmed from how they were set up in the first half. Hasenhüttl deployed his troops in a 3-4-2-1 formation but was missing the personnel to make that system function. Center-back Jannik Vestergaard (£4.6m) missed out through injury which meant Yoshida played alongside Jan Bednarek (£4.0m) and Jack Stephens (£4.2m) in a back-three. The latter especially struggled and was replaced at half-time.

“It will be difficult I think for Jannik (to play against Watford). He had big pains in the training session on Friday and stopped in the training session. With Yan, he had a high temperature in the night so we drove him home and we will have a look. There is not a lot of time between the games so we will have a look.” – Ralph Hasenhüttl

Meanwhile, an illness for Jan Valery (£4.1m) saw him miss the game, which was of huge frustration to Fantasy managers given he was the key man outside of Redmond. That caused further issues for Southampton as James Ward-Prowse (£5.1m) was forced to play a right wing-back role he was clearly not comfortable with. He could have been sent off for a clinical body check on a countering Miguel Almirón (£6.0m) in the first half, and it was his missed slide tackle that allowed Salomón Rondón (£5.9m) the space to cross for Ayoze Pérez‘s (£6.1m) second goal.

“(Asked his opinion on Ward-Prowse’s yellow card): I don’t know. I saw another player following and so maybe he was the last guy but it was in their half and there was a long way to go and on the same high was another player from us. I haven’t seen it once again but we should respect the decision the referee took in this moment. He made a good game this referee and this was not the reason we lost.” – Ralph Hasenhüttl

Southampton found more success when they reverted to a back-four in the second half, and were helped by the return of Mario Lemina (£4.7m) in central midfield. He came on at half-time for the struggling Stephens for his first appearance of 2019 after sustaining an abdominal injury which needed surgery to resolve. Offensively, Lemina matched Redmond for number of shots, but had one more on target than him – and effort that found its way into the net for Southampton’s only goal of the game. It was the Gabonese international’s first since February 2018.

“For him, it was an important thing to see that he has no pain anymore and immediately showed he is a player that can help you. It was a very good goal and also the other things he had with the ball and without the ball were very good. For me, he was the most positive thing.” – Ralph Hasenhüttl

Those in possession of Southampton players probably cannot be completely sure they will play against Watford. Hasenhüttl did hint that there would be rotation for their second Double Gameweek match, citing the fact that he has several options when it comes to shape.

“As always I think we know that we are flexible when changing shapes. We showed at Newcastle again that we can immediately change the shape and get more comfortable.” – Ralph Hasenhüttl

The man who wrote the headlines on this game was Newcastle forward Pérez, who took his goal tally for the season 10 with an impressive hat-trick. It took his total of attacking returns in the last three home matches to six, from five goals and one assist.

“His contribution for the team in defence is quite important because we are talking about a very offensive player. Obviously last season, he scored goals and did well at the end of the season, and this year, it seems that is the same. I am really pleased for him because he knows that he has to be more consistent. If he scores three goals sometimes, I will be happy with that.” – Rafa Benitez

However, whether the Spaniard can seriously offer Fantasy potential between now and the end of the season remains to be seen. Only one of his league goals this season have come away from home, and of Newcastle’s final three matches of the season, only one is at home and it’s against Liverpool.

Furthermore, part of the reason for Pérez’s recent resurgence into a goal-scoring force for Newcastle has been the arrival of Almirón. The Paraguyan attacking midfielder has added an extra dimension to the Magpies’ attacking capabilities and freed up Pérez to take a more important role for the side. That certainly bodes well for next season, but for now it is hard to see Pérez hitting the heights of Saturday again with Almirón possibly out for the rest of the campaign with a hamstring injury.

“To be fair, it’s because the way that we play now, Miguel Almiron with the pace, Rondon holding the ball with him and the wing-backs, they are giving us different options and he’s finding more space between the lines and also behind the defenders. There are a lot of things together, and he is doing well because he understands what he has to do. We have other players and maybe they can try their best now.” – Rafa Benitez

“It is his (Almirón) first injury of this type. “He was doing well and the fans love him. He was working very hard, and it is not easy for a player who was doing well in another country, at a massive club in front of 52,000 fans, to then get injured and maybe have to be out for the rest of the season.” – Rafa Benitez

Newcastle United XI (5-4-1): Dubravka; Ritchie, Dummett, Lascelles, Schär (Fernandez 69′), Manquillo; Almirón (Atsu 64′), Hayden (Diamé 78′), Ki, Pérez; Rondón.

Southampton XI (3-4-2-1): Gunn; Bednarek, Yoshida, Stephens (Lemina 45′); Bertrand, Højbjerg, Romeu, Ward-Prowse; Redmond, Sims (Armstrong 45′); Ings (Long 76′).