New Southampton FC manager must find consistency where Jones couldn't

Granted, a few of those ten are still recovering from long-term injuries but the rest - armed with a total of 130 international caps between them - were simply left out.

This is the situation Saints find themselves in and this is one of the major issues Jones never managed to solve. Despite sitting dead-last in the Premier League table, this Saints squad has real quality in it. But it’s also bloated and full of players who have failed to adequately step up.

READ MORE: What pundits and former players are saying about Saints decision to sack Nathan Jones

Try as he might, Jones was never able to wade through the murkiness of Saints’ 30-man group in order to find his best team or his best system. Right to the end, he seemed lost with his players and it concluded in a hasty departure.

The January transfer window saw Saints bring in five new players and their business looks promising thus far, four of the five new additions starting in the defeat to Wolves.

Those signings will be crucial to whatever Saints achieve - or fail to achieve through the rest of the campaign - but with zero members of the first team squad departing, it’s left a group that is simply too big.

Nathan Jones was never able to figure out his best XI in his brief Saints tenure. (Image: PA)

Here is how the Saints squad looks after the January window:

Goalkeepers: Gavin Bazunu, Alex McCarthy, Willy Caballero

Full-backs: Kyle Walker-Peters, Romain Perraud, James Bree, Tino Livramento (injured), Juan Larios (injured but expected to return soon)

Centre-backs: Duje Caleta-Car, Jan Bednarek, Lyanco, Mohammed Salisu, Armel Bella-Kotchap

Centre-midfielders: James Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia, Charly Alcaraz, Ibrahima Diallo, Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Attacking midfielders/Wingers: Mislav Orsic, Samuel Edozie, Joe Aribo, Stuart Armstrong, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Moussa Djenepo, Theo Walcott, Adam Armstrong, Moi Elyounoussi 

Strikers: Che Adams, Paul Onuachu, Sekou Mara

Jones’s predecessor Ralph Hasenhuttl spoke on multople occasions about wanting a tight-knit group of 20 or fewer senior players with the rest of the squad subsidised with players from the club’s academy system.

That philosophy changed slightly when Covid meant that players could become unavailable with limited notice but the overarching point remained the same entering the current campaign. The problems start to mount though when new players arrive and those at the club can’t be shifted.

In the summer, Saints were said to be open to offers for the likes of Moussa Djenepo, Theo Walcott, and Nathan Redmond but only the latter ended up leaving St Mary’s.

Even once players become clearly surplus to requirements, it can be a real challenge to get rid of them with the individuals themselves often happy to stand by and continue picking up their Premier League-enhanced wage unless the perfect move can be found.

The squad size issue was one that Jones inherited and even before it was exasperated by the January movement, it was an issue he struggled to tackle.

Jones began his first game in charge of Saints using a back five at Anfield before switching to a four in the second half and it was indicative of future flip-flopping as the 49-year-old couldn't nail down a consistent system that would work with his players while also struggling to nail down a consistent group of players that worked with each other.

Amongst numerous casualties of Jones’s constant chopping and changing was Joe Aribo who went from bench to starting berth and back to bench in the space of three games as well as Ibrahima Diallo who started the three games leading up to Saturday, before being left out of the squad entirely for the visit of Wolves.

Croatian duo Mislav Orsic and Duje Caleta-Car are another pair who will feel aggrieved by Jones inconsistent treatment of his massive squad. The former was deemed unprepared for Premier League action upon arrival and then with virtually no minutes to bed-in was thrust into the starting XI for the home leg of the EFL Cup semi-final against Newcastle’s league-leading defence.

Duje Caleta-Car fell out of favour with Nathan Jones. (Image: Stuart Martin)

With Saints required to defend first - and their two wide players asked to track back for much of the game - it seemed a set-up almost designed for Orsic to fail.

The winger played again four days later in the FA Cup against Blackpool before being thrown in with the Saints B team while failing to make either of Jones’s final matchday squads. Caleta-Car also failed to make either of those 20-man groups, falling out of favour despite helping lead his side past Everton in Jones’s only league victory.

They aren’t nearly the only ones who seemed to toil under Jones's inconsistency with much of the squad going from favourites to exiled or vice-versa in the manager's short reign. Moi Elyounoussi quickly transitioned from essential cog to forgotten afterthought and the same could be said about Lyanco.

But perhaps the clearest example of Jones getting lost within his own massive squad was the treatment of Romeo Lavia. Clearly a crucial component of Saints at their best, Jones frequently spoke about the need to protect the young midfielder and ensure he doesn’t suffer another injury.

That is a logical and fair read of the situation. Lavia is too important to lose. But Jones’s usage of the player didn’t fully support the words leaving his mouth.

Approaching the two-legged semi-final against Newcastle - with the FA Cup tie against Blackpool in the middle - most expected Lavia to start the two games against the Magpies while being given an obvious rest against the Championship strugglers.

Jones went with the opposite. The only game of the three that Lavia started was the 2-1 win against Blackpool and the error of Jones’s judgement was clear when the Belgian helped turn the momentum of the second leg at St James’ Park after coming off the bench at half time. But it was already much too late.

Right until the acrimonious ending, Jones seemed to be picking his teams by blindly pulling from a hat.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles, starter of just one Premier League game under Jones ahead of Saturday, was chosen to face Wolves at right-centre-back and while the bizarre decision actually worked quite well, it was the latest in a long line of decisions that made it clear Jones had no idea how to get the most out of this group of players.

Some of this wasn’t Jones’s fault. No doubt the constant changes was in part brought about by so many of his players failing to step up and take their opportunities. But those individuals would argue that they weren’t given the consistent minutes needed to breed a positive run of form.

On top of this, Jones’s favourites - including the returning Jan Bednarek - didn’t step up in the manner their boss required, making his decisions look even more foolish.

Jan Bednarek returned to play a major role in Nathan Jones's Saints. (Image: Image: Stuart Martin)

Whoever comes next has to solve the problem Jones never could. They have to find consistency and regularity with the tools at their disposal. It certainly won’t be easy with a huge squad that has yet to truly gel, full of a number of fringe assets who expect minutes.

Meanwhile, the issue has been heightened by the different profiles in this Saints squad with many of the pieces not quite fitting with the others. For example, Samuel Edozie is a winger who like to hang on the touchline and run at defenders while Joe Aribo wants to start wide and drift inside.

Che Adams is best in a dual strike force while Paul Onuachu has already displayed his ability to play as the lone forward up front. Captain James Ward-Prowse’s best form has come with the freedom to attack in a midfield three but that just adds responsibility to the shoulders of the inconsistent Diallo, at least pending Alcaraz’s full breakout.

Armel Bella-Kotchap reached his best levels this season in a back four but Jones’s leader of the defence, Bednarek, needs the protection of a five.

We could go on, but the point is clear: this is a truly difficult puzzle and figuring out which pieces to use and where is not a simple task.

But it is the challenge any new manager will be required to solve. This Saints team has lacked consistency and harmony and it’s led to an unintelligible identity and a group of players who seem unsure of how to play with each other.

It might take a harsh hand, it might take the ostracisation of a few squad members, but whoever replaces Jones needs to figure out his best team and his core leaders on the pitch. Jones never could. And it cost him his job.

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