Martin: Aggression key to West Brom win
Russell Martin was proud of the way his Southampton players bounced back from a rare defeat in midweek to reclaim second spot in the Sky Bet Championship with a statement 2-0 victory at West Brom.
Fellow promotion chasers Albion had won their last five home league games, keeping four clean sheets along the way, but goals in each half from wingers Ryan Fraser and David Brooks propelled Saints to a deserved victory.
Martin, who said he hasn’t slept well since the 3-1 loss at Bristol City that ended his side’s 25-match unbeaten run, hailed the aggression of his team at The Hawthorns.
“I feel really proud of the players, really delighted with the win and the way we did it,” he said. “I think we showed every side of the game tonight, and the aggression that was lacking on Tuesday.
“I’ve felt so rubbish since Tuesday night – not slept very well, not felt very good. I feel like I let the players down on Tuesday because I didn’t give them the right energy and what to expect from the game when I really reflected on it.
“I watched it and I felt worse about it than I did straight after, and that doesn’t happen very often. I told them today, I said, ‘if we’re going to be really serious, we can’t ever have that again, and if we’re ever going to lose again then we need to do it in our way’.
“I felt so flat about Tuesday, and tonight they’ve done everything, they’ve been amazing. That’s down to them, their willingness to run and be aggressive tonight was fantastic, to defend properly, to throw their body in the way of things, to react properly to losing the ball, which is why we scored the second goal.
“We made some tactical tweaks that I think helped us, because I think West Brom would’ve prepared for something else, but you have to make the most of that and carry it out with real intensity and courage to play the way we want to, and they did that.
“We were aware of their home form and of the context of the game – they’ve just been taken over, so we knew there would be a nice feeling here, it was sold out. But everything that was against us tonight didn’t matter one bit to the players – they just played free, in flow, instinct and real courage and aggression, and that’s what this team is built on.
“I’m really proud of them, and I’m pleased we could give the amazing away support – on Tuesday they were still clapping us when we lost 3-1, I was furious with myself but they were still clapping right to the very end, so I’m pleased we could have a really good night.”
