Southampton's substitution problem rears its head again in defeat to Villa

NOT for the first time this season, Saints got worse when their manager turned to the bench during their 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa. With every substitution interim boss Simon Rusk made, Southampton became less solid and more passive. The opposite was true for Villa.

Despite the squad lists on Saturday's matchday programme naming four more Saints than Villans, it was the visitors’ bench that made the difference — with three different substitutes scoring, a Premier League first. Southampton’s struggles from the bench have been a theme throughout the season and cannot be pinned down to a few underperformers, either. Subs have contributed to just eight goals — three goals and five assists — despite Saints turning to their bench 154 times.



They rank level with Brighton, who have also made 154 subs, yet the Seagulls have profited 13 goal involvements. Southampton’s bloated squad reflects a case of quantity over quality, and they remain lumbered with players they ought to have offloaded by now. No team has used more players this season than Saints, with teenager Jay Robinson becoming the 35th when he made his debut.

READ MORE: 'Special moment' - Saints have 'high hopes' for latest debutant Robinson Jay Robinson replaced Mateus Fernandes to make his Saints debut. (Image: Richard Crease) Rusk had developed a system which kept Villa quiet and won encouragement from home fans, who have grown unaccustomed to competitive performances. His plan to keep things tight worked in the first half, but Saints suffered a sucker punch when Paul Onuachu was forced off at halftime.

The Nigerian striker had been the focal point up front as the hosts sat deep and looked to hit Unai Emery’s side on the break. The blow of losing Onuachu, the club's top goalscorer in the Premier League, would have been softened had Ross Stewart been further along in his recovery. The Scotsman has been perennially injured since joining the club from Sunderland in 2023, and anxiety reigned in the dressing room about his ability to play a full 45 minutes.

Stewart was deemed unable to come on at that stage, which forced Rusk to introduce Tyler Dibling instead and to move Cameron Archer back into a central role. READ MORE: 'Not helpful' - Rusk explains Onuachu sub and why Stewart didn't replace him Archer, a summer signing from Aston Villa, had been enjoying a more active role on the right wing, although his final product still required gloss. He squandered a chance to square for Onuachu, following a brilliant ball forward from Kyle Walker-Peters, by lifting his cross and inviting Emi Martínez to save.

The price Saints paid for being solid at the back was leaving themselves light up front. No matter the combination, the forwards were left with too much to do. This key pass map shows that most of Southampton's chances were created from deep areas.

None were created in the box. Southampton's key pass map against Aston Villa. (Image: Wyscout) Rusk confessed he "can't solve everything", but he will need to strike a better balance if he hopes to push Saints past the 11-point target.

"We've seen this year that in this division, if you open up in another way, in 45 minutes, you can be out of the game," he explained. "The plan here was to be intelligent about what we're doing, to be diligent. Yeah, we want to control parts of the game.

We want to be a threat." Villa’s first two goals came during a spell of dominance in duels. As Villa raised their level, Saints collapsed.

Southampton and Aston Villa's duels won per 15-minute rate. (Image: Wyscout) Villa scored their opening goal between the 61st and 75th minute, a period in which Saints won just 27 duels compared to Villa’s 63. Ollie Watkins’ outrageous finish came moments after Tyler Dibling, surrounded by Villa players, was caught in possession.

The 19 year old had delayed on the ball, waiting for a free-kick for a foul on Mateus Fernandes, showing his inexperience. Tyler Dibling delays in possession after Mateus Fernandes (out of frame) is fouled. (Image: Wyscout) Tyler Dibling runs into trouble after allowing Villa players to reset defensively.

(Image: Wyscout) Tyler Dibling is tackled in midfield, inviting Villa to attack and score through Ollie Watkins. (Image: Wyscout) Dibling clearly took too long on the ball, allowing Villa’s players to block any safe passes, while his teammates remained static behind navy shirts. More goals followed the first, as has been the trend for opposition teams this season.

The opener ultimately won Villa the game, despite Aaron Ramsdale's penalty heroics. Technical director Johannes Spors faces a major task to trim the squad while keeping the quality needed to win promotion. Saints could have up to 33 players when pre-season begins, even after accounting for out-of-contract departures, no new signings, and excluding youth players.

Lessons must be learned from this season’s squad-building missteps. A complete overhaul may be needed for the club’s long-term health..