Martin proud of the teams aggression and togetherness agains Arsenal

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Southampton boss Russell Martin proud of the teams aggression and togetherness agains Arsenal  05/10/2024  Emirates Stadium, London, UK

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00:00Yeah, yeah, I feel really proud of the team in a lot of ways. The willingness to defend

00:14and fight and run that wasn't there in the first half on Monday was there in bundles

00:19today really. So I feel like they've grown since Monday, they've learnt a lot. They stuck

00:24with the game plan, I thought it worked really well. We knew we were going to be under a

00:27bit of pressure in the first half especially, and then asked them to be a bit braver I think

00:32in the second half to take the ball, willingness to take the ball and we did that. We had some

00:35big moments, we hit the bar, hit the post, we scored, good goal, but we're not in front

00:38for long enough and that's the only frustration. We have a chance to take the temperature out

00:42of the game at that point when Flynn receives the ball and find the other side of the pitch

00:44and we go back into the bodies and it's really unfortunate because he's been amazing again

00:48today with Flynn and his performance. We lose the ball and concede and then, again, just

00:54for five, ten minutes the game goes a bit crazy and we have to stick with doing the

00:58right things at that moment. And then we're 2-1 down and I felt like we were still really

01:03aggressive trying to chase the game, not accepting just being beat and then we get caught with

01:07a third goal which, again, is just not good enough. So the same frustration is concede

01:12goals that are not good enough to concede against a really brilliant team. Saka, we

01:19doubted him so well in the first half and then in the second half he gets the cross

01:22in for the first time, like a good cross and not enough pressure on the ball. So still

01:27frustrated about them moments but really proud of the team, really proud of the courage to

01:31play football, really proud of their aggression and resilience and togetherness. I think they'll

01:36take a huge amount from the game and especially the second half, the feeling they had at times

01:40when we played some really outstanding stuff and we're playing against one of the best

01:44teams in the country so we have to be realistic but we had a real go and there's a way, if

01:49we are going to lose, there is a way to do that and today I feel much better about it

01:52than I did on Monday and I think it's made me excited about what's to come.

02:07It'll be a big moment for him, I think. Obviously he missed the penalty against United and then

02:12a couple of chances at Ipswich, found himself out of the team, not because of that at all,

02:14just because the game probably dictated something different. So we wanted Ross' physical presence

02:21against two really brilliant centre-halves and gutted for Ross but Cam come on and took

02:26his moment and took his opportunity and I think he's going to be a really top player

02:29for us. It's why we spent a lot of money on him in the summer and he's got real tools

02:34and the best tool he has is his hunger to learn and to improve and to grow and I think

02:39that will do him the world of good.

02:40You mentioned the goals, I imagine how Fuki and Flippi will be disappointed but is that

02:44a consequence of the amount of pressure last weekend?

02:47Not at that point, I don't think it was. So we had a lot of pressure to do in the first

02:52half but the second half I thought we were really in the game from the start of the second

02:56half and we had some really good moments. So that goal wasn't after a lot of sustained

03:04pressure, it was just a moment. And then the third goal, actually we have a lot of pressure

03:09on them, 2-1 down and then we lose the ball, they play, we don't deal with a dual 2v1 well

03:14enough and then Yuki, I don't think he sees Saka coming so he should just clear the ball

03:19probably but Yuki's been brilliant for us since he's come and it's all learning, it's

03:22all growth. We're on a journey and trying to grow under the biggest scrutiny in the

03:26Premier League so I have to make sure the players understand where we're heading and

03:31today makes me feel, like I said, excited about that.

03:34You've made four changes to the team, Ryan O'Reilly coming back into the team for the

03:39first time this season, you've already spoken about Dino Saka in the first half, can you

03:42talk to me a little bit about what you thought going into the game and why he made that change?

03:44Yeah, so Wiman was going to play but he had a sickness bug and we also know Wiman wouldn't

03:50last 90 minutes so the guy then who was going to be in the squad and who hasn't been yet

03:55is Ryan O because he's played that role more than anyone else for us over two years at

03:58Swansea and last year as well in the final and him and Paul have both come in the squad

04:04out of nowhere, it was presumed but they train every day really, really well and that's really

04:07important that they haven't sort of sulked or they've responded brilliantly and Paul

04:13come on and did really well today and I thought Ryan did a brilliant job for us, a really

04:16brilliant job for us and I think there was a level of trust in him and the team on the

04:22pitch today that they've all been through a lot of moments for us. Jairo Ribo was outstanding

04:27so I think on Monday too many guys trying to learn how we play without having enough

04:35success of it if that makes sense so the guys who have been here know that if you persist

04:40and stick with the detail and trust the work that eventually it will come good and you'll

04:44find some flow and we didn't do that in the first half on Monday so today that was about

04:48understanding I think and trusting that they know the work and also trying to deal with

04:54their biggest threat with two full-backs on that side which I thought they did brilliantly

04:56for the first 45 minutes.

04:58You mentioned Paul, you mentioned some of the stuff he did with the ball today was really

05:01quite entertaining, is he a serious option for you?

05:03Yeah definitely, yeah he has to be otherwise he's not on the bench so he's trained so well

05:08after a summer of disruption and will he, won't he, will he be here, won't he be here

05:13and it was tough for him to deal with I think but then since the window's shut it's just

05:17a different beast, he's been trained so well, always makes his mark in training physically

05:26and actually he's got a really good record wherever he's been apart from here in that

05:31six month period he had and last year he went out on loan for a number of different reasons,

05:36finance, playing in the top league, about us trying to get the, you know, Shea Adams

05:42and these guys that we knew what they can do so Paul was lesser known to us and this

05:48summer was what it was and now he's here so we have to use him if we think he can help

05:53us and I definitely think he can.

05:54I'll just ask about Russell, it's scary, it's quite new for him, do you know what the problem is?

05:59Yeah he's got a muscle injury so we'll scan that tomorrow, absolutely gutted for him,

06:03he's worked so hard to come back in, honestly so disappointed for him, everyone is, so we

06:08just have to see how bad it is and then I know he'll attack it in the same way he does

06:12with everything but it is hard for him to deal with, but he has a huge resilience and

06:16character so we'll have to go again and see how long it's going to be.

06:22Just on the human side of it, he's obviously worked his entire life to be a footballer,

06:25just that you did, he's made it to the Premier League, he's made his first start and I imagine

06:29probably going to the dressing room wondering when's he going to be able to do that again?

06:31Yeah I don't think any of us will understand the level of frustration and hurt he'll feel

06:36right now and pain he'll feel, but I just don't think it's ever easy, a footballer's

06:42journey is never easy, whatever age you are, they have to have a certain level of resilience

06:46just to make it this far, a certain level of talent for sure but a certain level of

06:50mental fortitude to play, to get to this level and his journey has not been easy either in

06:57lower leagues and up in Scotland, so yeah we will help him, we will support him, I'm

07:04absolutely devastated for him, as the other players will be, but like I said our job is

07:10to help these players, especially the young guys and the guys who have not been here for

07:13too long, to help them on their journey and we'll continue to try and do that at Roscoe.

07:17Russell, what was your feeling in the first 15 or so minutes, where you get worried and

07:22then it's really like seven, eight passes, really good, but then just a small error at

07:27the last minute, what was your feeling at that moment?

07:29I think there was just a bit of tension with the players, so it was a bit frustrating that

07:32we had a few moments where we could have looked after the ball and protected the ball and

07:35we didn't, or make a good foul and disrupt the game a bit and we didn't and then I think

07:43the lads grew into it and felt a bit more comfortable and confident, but I think we

07:46knew that we have to expect and accept that we're playing against one of the best teams

07:50in the country and they're going to have moments of being really dominant with the players

07:53they have on the pitch, so I think that's part of my learning is to accept that we have

07:58to really dig deep and try and find some joy in the moments and I found a lot of joy in

08:03the way the players defended and blocked things and all that, so I don't think the game panned

08:07out very different to what we expected really in terms of the game plan, so yeah, we just

08:13need to make sure we learn from it and understand why, which we always do, and make sure we

08:19take the same mentality into the next game.

08:22You said that about taking joy in the way the defenders defended, I think Jan Venterac

08:25was someone who really stood up for me, I think the fact that Van Gogh conceded three

08:29goals kind of takes away from the performance he had today?

08:32Yeah, I think it's unfair on some individuals that we conceded so many goals so far, I mean

08:37Ramsdell's been amazing for us and he was today again and he conceded three goals again,

08:40it's just like at some point it has to change and it will if they defend how they did today.

08:46I think we're not going to be defined by a result at Arsenal away, we played really

08:51brilliantly at Newcastle away, Manchester United half an hour at home really brilliantly,

08:55but they're not the games that are going to define us, the games that define us are

08:58coming up, we have three of them in the next block of four games and we have to do better

09:01in them games, we've had a few already against teams that are going to be in and around us

09:05and having the same fight really, to stay in the league or to keep them established

09:09in the league and that's going to be really important so we have to take the same mentality

09:13today and as for Yanni, he's just been a top player for us and he's taken on responsibility

09:18a lot and he needs to keep growing and accepting that responsibility with the ball and without

09:21and he's a good example for the younger guys.

09:26All good, cheers guys, see you later.

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