Koeman: I have no regrets about shuffling pack

SOUTHAMPTON boss Ronald Koeman defended his decision to make changes for yesterday’s 3-1 defeat at Manchester City. Koeman left out Dusan Tadic, Jordie Clasie and Cedric Soares, while being without suspended striker Graziano Pelle, and Saints fell 2-0 behind inside 20 minutes with Cedric’s replacement Maya Yoshida responsible for the opening goal. ‘We did things differently but our start wasn’t a question of tactics or players or the lineup,’ said Koeman after Southampton’s first away defeat in the Premier League this season. ‘If you make the kind of mistakes we did in the first 20 minutes, a team like City will punish you. This wasn’t about systems, it was about not playing the ball to the right colour.’ Saints did improve after the half-time introduction of Tadic, which gives Koeman hope for their Capital One Cup quarterfinal tie against Liverpool on Wednesday night. ‘We showed in the second half that we can keep the ball and have good possession,’ he added. ‘We had the best chance to make it 2-2 through Tadic. It is important the players take out the positives in the second half.’ The choice of Yoshida for Cedric was a surprise but the manager countered: ‘We have big competition in our squad. I think it was a moment to change and give other players a chance. We know Maya is more defensive. It is always difficult if you change a player in that position and he makes a mistake.’