Ryan Manning exclusive: Southampton defender on tactical tweaks which can secure Premier League survival

At the low point of the Premier League, and already five points from safety, there is little positivity around Southampton and the heat is already on manager Russell Martin.

Playing style, defensive vulnerability and, ultimately, results have piled on the pressure in just twelve games towards the return of Premier League football on the south coast, where the best memory of last season's play-off final was winning the trophy presented in training the club was fed up. reception on the ground.

Martin's possession has won him admirers so far, taking him from MK Dons, to Swansea, to Southampton and now to the Premier League in five seasons.

But like many before him, he quickly learns how difficult it is to stick to those philosophies in the toughest competition in the world.

It's not his first sticky spot in that half-decade. Ryan Manning, who followed his coach from South Wales to St Mary's in the summer of 2023, has experienced the highs and lows of his management before.

He was there before and started most of Southampton's 25-match unbeaten streak last season, as well as a run of three wins from 21 the previous season at Swansea.

The Irishman knows that Martin's style can be refined and has seen it pay off before.

“We also lost four on the spin before that 25-match run,” Manning reminded Sky Sports. “There were tough times last season when we pulled things out. The momentum is enormous.

“Obviously, going unbeaten 25 times in the Premier League is a tough task! But if the results aren't to your liking, it can be difficult.

“There are so many positive things we can take from the performance. If we can get a little bit of momentum going, I think we can really start to take off.

“We have to continue what we do in such situations and go for two, three extras and finish the game. But again, it's the Premier League, it's difficult, every team has its threats and it's so difficult to hold on .” results.

“But I think we can take a bit of positivity from the fact that we've been ahead in a lot of these games and if we can convert that into points on the board then I think we can start to turn the situation around.” appearance of the table.”

Southampton have led five games this season, as many as Newcastle and West Ham. There is promise here – the problem is that only one of those matches has been won.

They have sometimes been their own worst enemy. Martin's style demands precision and in the cutthroat world of the Premier League, Southampton have dropped 11 points from winning positions, most of which were avoidable.

Eight goals and twenty shots were conceded due to errors. In most cases, a 2-1 lead after defeat to Liverpool this weekend would be seen as a courageous defeat. But it follows a trend where they have conceded an average of two goals per game, second worst after Wolves.

On the other hand, Southampton have had more touches in the final third than seven teams, and only 38 fewer than Brighton, who they face on Friday Night Football. Despite this, they are the only team in the top flight who have not yet scored ten goals.

Martin is not a man who changes his style. That was what attracted the Southampton hierarchy to him, like Swansea before them, and what drew praise from Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta this season.

There are signs that he is open to adjustment. Southampton's first goal on Sunday came from a 30-yard run from Tyler Dibling. Their second took them from wing-back to the edge of the penalty area in two passes before Mateus Fernandes finished.

But what will stay with us is the defensive disaster before Liverpool's opening match, as Saints tried (and failed) to force their way against Liverpool's high press. Most frustrating for Martin was that this was a moment when he would have preferred them to simply clear their lines.

“It's about realizing the state of games and choosing our moments a little bit better and where we decide whether we finish the game, play it fast or slow it down,” Manning said. “It's a bit of game management that's letting us down at the moment.

“Sometimes it's easy to look from the outside in and see things and think the chance came from a long ball and ask why we don't do that every time.

“But I think a big part of our game comes from playing from the back and that leads to opportunities that wouldn't have been there if we hadn't built up.

“It's about getting teams into different shapes and positions that they wouldn't normally be in.

“We are consistent in what we believe in and we practice the same things every day. Every practice is designed to make us better on game day and at the end of the season I feel like we are clicking and getting better.” out of the bottom three by then.

“I think we'll look back and say it was just a tough period we went through. It only takes one or two results to reach your goal and suddenly the picture changes a lot.”

Manning himself has endured a frustrating wait to return to the Premier League after being plucked from the Irish second tier by QPR in January 2015 and subsequently plucked into the top flight, only for the Rs to be relegated four months later.

Returning to the top was never his priority, he emphasizes, but it always remained an ambition. It finally started to look like a likely prospect when the call came from his recently departed Swansea boss to join him on the south coast 18 months ago.

Manning was seen as a trusted lieutenant and started 30 Championship games on Southampton's way to promotion, but Martin's loyalty to the full-back was not unconditional.

The arrival of Premier League veteran Charlie Taylor and the retention of loanee Ryan Fraser saw him out of the squad for the first six games of the season, before a dreadful team performance at Bournemouth invited a change of direction.

Make a switch to a back five to try and limit the damage at Arsenal on October 5. And a surprise return for Manning, who shook off five months of rust to keep Bukayo Saka quiet for an hour. Enough to be described as “brilliant” by his manager.

Southampton even went 1-0 up at the Emirates in one of their best performances of the season before the insatiable winger eventually grabbed two assists and a goal – the latter coming after Manning had been substituted.

“The match against Arsenal was immediately at the deep end,” he laughs. “It was one of those where the whistle blew, all I had to do was fight and enjoy the challenge.

“You try to enjoy it as much as possible, but against someone like Saka it obviously comes with a bit of stress. I had Kyle [Walker-Peters] right in the back next to me, and we helped each other.

“Having said that, in the Premier League you will never come across a winger where it is an easy day at the office.

“It was obviously difficult not to play at the start of the season, but that is the Premier League. Every preparation you fight for your position, you are never guaranteed anything. For me it was just realizing that challenge.” was there and embraced it.”

That sounds like a buzzword, but Manning did his best to seize his opportunity. He threw himself into proving himself and even enjoyed playing 90 minutes against the reserves two weeks before the match against Arsenal, while many would not be exactly enthusiastic.

After that Arsenal game, he started four of the next five games before sitting out the defeat at Liverpool – and has proven to be one of the Saints' best creative outlets in a season devoid of attacking prowess.

However, his desire and work rate to extend his return to the Premier League will not be enough to keep Southampton afloat on their own. The style has to click, the results have to improve. But there are positive signs amid the doom and gloom at the bottom of the Premier League.

Momentum is a strange thing in football. That also applies to that elusive winning formula. A little more of each, and the five-point gap to safety could close quite quickly.

Watch Brighton vs Southampton in the Sky Sports Premier League on Friday from 7pm, starting at 8pm.