Southampton will aim to pick up a much-needed win playing in front of the St. Mary’s masses tonight, Russell Martin’s men losing their last two clashes on their own patch to the dismay of the disgruntled home supporters watching on.
Martin will hope his Saints troops are buoyed on by the nature of their dramatic win against Birmingham City last time out to pick up another result, Joe Aribo’s 96th minute tap-in handing the stuttering automatic promotion hopefuls the three points in an action-packed 4-3 contest.
The 38-year-old boss will be wrestling with what side to pick for the task of overcoming Ryan Lowe’s Preston North End now, with one usually reliable star potentially being sacrificed for fresh blood to instead get a chance to impress.
Flynn Downes’ performance vs Birmingham in numbers
Usually one of the first names on Martin’s teamsheet, West Ham United loanee Flynn Downes could find his once secure spot in his manager’s first-team plans up in the air against Preston after a below-par showing last match.
Downes’ performance was timid when compared to the likes of Will Smallbone dazzling in the centre of the park for Southampton, with the homegrown Saints man picking up two assists to play a key role in the exciting 4-3 win.
In contrast, the ex-Swansea City midfielder was quiet.
Downes did come away from the barnstorming victory with four key passes notched up and a 96% passing accuracy next to his name, but that didn’t translate into the 25-year-old picking up an assist or goal for his troubles.
The Hammers loanee also dodged winning his fair share of duels in the 4-3 win, passively winning just one of the four duels he launched himself into.
Once labelled as being a “monstrous” talent by his Saints manager who managed him further when the pair were both at Swansea, Downes could now well drop out of Martin’s lineup for him to test out a different central midfielder from the get-go against Preston.
The player that could replace Flynn Downes
The most logical switch-up would see Aribo come into the first-team fold after bagging the vital winner against the Blues, the ex-Rangers man rewarded with a start subsequently.
Southampton’s £70k-per-week man has been knocking on the door for more first-team opportunities recently, impressing away from just being the hero at St Andrew’s.
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The Nigerian midfielder would only need 45 minutes against Hull City in mid-February to bag another goal for the Saints, winning seven duels in that 2-1 defeat too in what proved to be an impactful off-the-bench appearance for the 27-year-old.
Aribo played the role of heroic substitute perfectly again in the 4-3 victory over Tony Mowbray’s hosts last time out, managing to upstage Downes with a solitary duel won alongside firing in the crucial winner at the death.
Aribo’s numbers vs Birmingham
Minutes played
20
Goals scored
1
Touches
25
Accurate passes
20/22 (91%)
Duels won
1/1
Possession lost
2x
Stats by Sofascore
It could well be argued that axing Downes completely could be viewed as an overreaction, but Martin would be silly not to unleash Aribo from the start after offering up yet another energetic run-out for his promotion-chasing side from so little time on the pitch.
With Smallbone and Stuart Armstrong offering more than Downes did last time out – the Scotsman livelier when committing himself into duels with three won – the regular first-teamer could be given a rare day off for Aribo to shine.