Salisu responds to Hasenhuttl demand with crucial Southampton pass

This was a goal that must have meant a lot to the Austrian. Not only was it an equaliser against the league-leaders, evidence of at least a (mini) corner potentially being turned, and the byproduct of a clever tactical shift on his part. But there was an added wrinkle that would have made him smile.

READ MORE: Maitland-Niles opens up on start to life at Saints

With the ball at Gavin Bazunu’s feet, Mohammed Salisu pulled out to the left flank and within 15 seconds of the Ghanaian receiving his goalkeeper’s pass, it was in the back of Arsenal’s net.

Salisu’s contribution didn't go ignored by Saints fans; it was his pass sent in the direction of Joe Aribo that opened Arsenal up initially. But it would have meant a bit more to Hasenhuttl and the player himself after he had been challenged to improve with the ball in the week ahead of the game.

After a highly impressive start to last season, Salisu struggled alongside his entire team over the final months of a campaign that ended in a bitter taste. The centre-back looked lost and unsure of himself at times, a shell of the confident upstart who had hounded Manchester City out of St Mary’s in January.

But starting fresh this time around, Salisu has continued to deliver on last season’s promise with an impressive run of form. No doubt he has been aided by the accomplished partners alongside him in Armel Bella-Kotchap and now Duje Caleta-Car but he's been the constant in this defence. Outside of Bazunu, only James Ward-Prowse has played more minutes than Salisu this season.

That said, he hasn’t yet done quite enough yet to satisfy his manager.

“I see him against the ball very strong and with the ball still a lot of things to improve,” Hasenhuttl told to the Daily Echo ahead of the draw with Arsenal.

“And he knows this. We are always demanding a lot and I think in the past, especially with the ball, I remember when we were flying in autumn last season he played unbelievably with the ball, always calm, using his right and his left leg and he’s not on this level at the moment.

"We are always very critical with him and we have to push him so that he comes back to this level."

Hasenhuttl did explain that this kind of demanding criticism is not unique to Salisu - simply the challenge to all at this level.

“We don’t separate anybody," he continued. "We criticise the captain like the young player who comes up. Everybody needs to take it because we don’t do it to only jump on them, we want to help them become a better player. This is very important that we are honest with them and try to tell them what is not perfect and what we want to see.”

The challenge directed at Salisu is large because of his importance to the team. 

The centre-back ranks second behind only James Ward-Prowse in passes per game and much of Saints' play on the ball against Arsenal started with or was heavily influenced by Salisu.

He has trended slightly downward this season in virtually all passing statistics but that is likely due to Saints as a team keeping less possession (42.9% vs 47.8%)  

In terms of passes per game, Salisu has dropped from 45.75 to 41.28 while his forward passes have dropped from 22.76 to 19.64. Unsurprisingly, he is also receiving fewer passes than last season - 28.91 per game to 25.57.

His passing accuracy has stayed almost exactly the same though, 84.4% this season and 84.2% last.

Salisu had a bit more of the ball on Sunday when he attempted 48 passes, including 25 forward passes. Regardless of the specific numbers, it was another day when a sizable portion of the onus was placed on Salisu's ability with the ball; a central tenant of how Saints play and build attacks.

The most common passing link against Arsenal was Bazunu to Salisu and the third-most-frequent was Salisu to Stuart Armstrong. Only Ward-Prowse played more passes than the central defender.

The passing network below from the draw shows just how involved Salisu was in possession. His #22 dot has multiple thick lines shooting off of it and passes heading to a number of different teammates all over the pitch.

It's this constant role on the ball that explains Hasenhuttl's criticism of the talented defender. If Saints are going to utilise him so much in their build-up play, then he can't just be average with the ball. He has to be excellent, fueled by calmness and bravery.

Fortunately, that all came together in the 65th minute at St Mary's on Sunday.

Salisu received the ball from Bazunu wide on the left flank with vacant space ahead...

His first touch was positive, taking him into the open space and creating the opportunity for his second touch...

...which is a pass drilled in the direction of Joe Aribo...

The Nigerian intelligently dummies the ball and Salisu's pass falls perfectly to the in-stride Romain Perraud. Suddenly, with one pass out from the back, Saints are running clear at a stretched Arsenal defence.

Importantly, of course, the passage ends with the ball in the back of the Gunners' net.

If Saints are going to put a rough start to the season behind them and build toward Premier League survival - or more - then they will need Salisu at his very best.

He's already displayed the monstrous defender he can be for this team and on Sunday he flashed his potential on the ball as well - something his coaches have challenged him to do. This is the full package Mohammed Salisu that Saints need on a weekly basis.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.

Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.

You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.

Don't take my word for it - subscribe here to see for yourself.

Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by joining our Facebook group - Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents

Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated Facebook group - Hampshire Court and Crime News