Southampton manager, Nigel Adkins, has claimed that everything went horribly wrong for his side during their 1-0 defeat to Sunderland on Saturday.
The Hampshire outfit enjoyed the bulk of the possession, but lacked potency upfront. A Steven Fletcher goal just at the stroke of halftime was enough for the Black Cats to secure all three points and put them four points clear of the relegation zone.
The Saints, too, are out of the drop zone, courtesy their superior goal difference to eighteenth placed Wigan Athletic. However, they have played a game lesser than their relegation rivals.
Speaking of his side’s performance over the weekend, the Englishman bemoaned their lack of cutting edge in the final quarter.
He pointed out that attack has proved to be their major strength this season, and it let them down against Sunderland.
The Saints have thus far netted 22 goals and shipped 33. On Saturday, they fired 12 shots at their opposition’s goal, but managed to hit the target only twice.
“It just didn't happen for us today,” he told the reporters in an interview after the match.
“It was uncharacteristically flat from us, and unfortunately we didn't score any goals… We've scored a lot of goals this season and today for me, for whatever reason uncharacteristically, it just didn't happen for us.”
“For me, we didn't get the flow that we normally do, and we didn't get as many crosses in which is something that we highlighted before the game.”
Southampton were hit by a setback prior to the match, as their ace striker, Adam Lallana, was ruled out due to injury. His void was filled by http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Emmanuel-Mayuka-c12557 who failed to make any significant impression, and was consequently substituted in the second half.
Although Lallana’s absence was badly felt by the team, the manager refused to accept it as the major reason behind their defeat. He said that every squad gets hit by injuries and that the entire unit should step up and deal with it.
Adkins’ men will next visit Craven Cottage to take on Fulham in a league match on Boxing Day.
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