It’s Redmond to the rescue after Pep talk
FOR all the frothymouthed, arm-waving madness that went with his message, Pep Guardiola might just have had a point about the attacking qualities of Nathan Redmond the other night. They certainly changed this game.
Was it the Pep talk that did it? That would be wildly overstating its significance. But there can be no doubting the impact Redmond had on this match, given how toothless Southampton looked in the first half while he sat on the bench and how effective they were once he came off it, with his side 1-0 down to a Ryan Fraser strike. They were growing a little desperate by that point, having been too predictable in most attacks as they drifted towards a fourth defeat in five. What happened next was delightfully close to the ideal script, with the winger bringing some sparkle and delivering the assist for Charlie Austin around the hour mark. He might have snatched the win, too, with a skidding drive that faded wide. But a point it was and for both teams that was probably about right. For Southampton, it allows a degree of momentum after the disappointment of their late defeat against City and it also develops the argument that Austin should play a more active role in the side after his third goal in two starts.
Considering the side’s struggles with scoring — just 23 goals in their past 25 league games — the 28-year-old would seem to offer the sharp edge that they lack.
Mauricio Pellegrino said: ‘The confidence of a striker is something that is really difficult to train or to buy. You need to score goals. So when you’ve got a player in this moment, like Austin, it’s really good news.’
For Bournemouth, there was a sense of irritation that went beyond them giving up a lead, with Adam Smith booked by Jonathan Moss for diving when appealing for a clear-cut penalty against Sofiane Boufal in the first half. The direct cost was not significant because Fraser scored not long afterwards, but longer term they have the problem of an unjust suspension for five bookings.
An angry Eddie Howe said: ‘I think it’s a clear penalty, I really do. I can’t work out what the referee has seen. That’s football, you live and die by those decisions and I think he’s got it wrong.
‘It’s hugely disappointing because not only do we not get the penalty but we lose Adam to suspension and it has a knock-on effect to the next game.’
Smith revealed Moss apologised and admitted his mistake. He said: ‘I spoke to him after and he apologised and said it was a penalty. I don’t mind him admitting it but the fact that he booked me and I can’t get it rescinded, that means I’ll miss the next game.’
Howe, like Pellegrino, accepted a draw was fair, but it will feel like more of a missed opportunity for Bournemouth. Indeed, it was telling that Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster was probably the best player on the pitch owing to notable saves from Jermain Defoe, Nathan Ake and Junior Stanislas.
Fraser found a way through and Howe is convinced the Scot can lift his side up the table. ‘He has had a slightly stuttering start to the season and this was a sign of his return to form,’ he said. ‘If he can, then he is a huge player for us.’