EFL Cup 2019/20: Portsmouth vs Southampton – Tactical Analysis

It has been seven years since Portsmouth and Southampton faced each other in the South Coast derby. During that period, both teams have played other rivals in Bournemouth and Brighton, but the atmosphere just didn’t feel the same. However, the draw for the EFL Cup’s third round has drawn these two clubs together in a match that took place at Portsmouth’s Fratton Park.

After missing out on promotion last season, the home side were determined to make things different this time. But a struggling start with only one win and three draws in their first seven games in League One caused some minor concerns among the fans. Still, they hoped to secure a win over their fierce rival and used it as momentum for bigger things this season.

For Southampton, they were improving themselves day by day under Ralph Hasenhüttl. He employed a fast-paced, attractive style of play and also put an emphasis on high pressing and quick turnovers. Amid the slow start to the Premier League season, they brought high confidence into the derby. And they demonstrated perfectly through a 4-0 dominant win thanks to Danny Ings’ brace and two goals from Cédric Soares and Nathan Redmond.

This tactical analysis will provide an analysis of Southampton’s dominant win over Portsmouth in the EFL Cup this season. Meanwhile, using statistics, we will point out what went wrong in Kenny Jackett’s tactics over Ralph Hasenhüttl’s tactics.

Lineups

Portsmouth lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Craig MacGillivray retaining his spot as the team’s number one. Striker Oli Hawkins was converted back into a centre-back again after he delivered a decent performance against Wycombe alongside Christian Burgess. It was thought that captain Tom Naylor might be absent from this match after sustaining two knocks in the same match, but he was fit to return and paired up with Ben Close in front of Portsmouth’s defence.

Hasenhüttl made a slight change to the team’s formation as he went for a 4-1-2-3. The Malian winger Moussa Djenepo was certain to miss out through injury he had suffered earlier. After starting for Southampton in the 3-1 loss against Bournemouth, both Sofiane Boufal and Nathan Redmond appeared on the bench as they were replaced by Danny Ings and Michael Obafemi.

Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy came into the lineup to fill in the place that Angus Gunn left behind. The Austrian manager also shifted a couple of positions in his back four with Maya Yoshida and Ryan Bertrand returned to the side.

Southamptons style of play

As mentioned, Hasenhüttl encouraged his players to press aggressively and attempt to recover possession whenever possible. Using a 4-1-2-3 formation that positioned fairly high, the visitors were able to execute their plan. In case Portsmouth used goal kicks to aim the ball towards their attackers, the players would regroup into the shape and swarm the middle third.

Firstly,