It has been seven years since Portsmouth and Southampton faced each other in the South Coast derby. During that period, both teams have played other rivals in Bournemouth and Brighton, but the atmosphere just didn’t feel the same. However, the draw for the EFL Cup’s third round has drawn these two clubs together in a match that took place at Portsmouth’s Fratton Park.
After missing out on promotion last season, the home side were determined to make things different this time. But a struggling start with only one win and three draws in their first seven games in League One caused some minor concerns among the fans. Still, they hoped to secure a win over their fierce rival and used it as momentum for bigger things this season.
For Southampton, they were improving themselves day by day under Ralph Hasenhüttl. He employed a fast-paced, attractive style of play and also put an emphasis on high pressing and quick turnovers. Amid the slow start to the Premier League season, they brought high confidence into the derby. And they demonstrated perfectly through a 4-0 dominant win thanks to Danny Ings’ brace and two goals from Cédric Soares and Nathan Redmond.
This tactical analysis will provide an analysis of Southampton’s dominant win over Portsmouth in the EFL Cup this season. Meanwhile, using statistics, we will point out what went wrong in Kenny Jackett’s tactics over Ralph Hasenhüttl’s tactics.
If you want to read the full tactical breakdown of this game, head over to totalfootballanalysis.com or click HERE
Artwork by @chapulana
If you love tactical analysis, then you’ll love the digital magazines from totalfootballanalysis.com – a guaranteed 100+ pages of pure tactical analysis covering topics from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and many, many more. Buy your copy of the August issue for just ₤4.99 here
