Tonda Eckert’s unnecessary tinkering has just cost Southampton a win at Lincoln
Southampton have now drawn back-to-back games in the Championship 1-1.
Indeed, after failing to win on the road at Birmingham City on Tuesday night, the Saints haven't been able to collect three points, again, when facing a spirited Lincoln City side.
Tonda Eckert's men have only lost once this season in league action, but their third second tier victory of the season is still not in their grasp, with Mikkel Ladefoged coming off the bench for the Imps to score a late equaliser.
Eckert made several changes to his starting XI for the trip to Lincolnshire, and he did get a few of those calls spot on, despite the disappointing final scoreline.
The changes Eckert got right
James Ward-Prowse, Jack Stephens, Kuryu Matsuki, and Wellington would all come into the starting lineup for the tense midday game at Sincil Bank, with eyebrows raised that Stephens was chucked back into the heart of defence.
Everyone expected Ward-Prowse to start, though, after Eckert revealed that the classy number 30 would play, and he put in a very fine individual performance, notching up a stunning six key passes across the full 90 minutes.
Welington managed to steal his thunder, however, as another addition into the lineup, by hammering home a superb strike deep into the first half to break the deadlock.
It will be intriguing to see if the German keeps his faith in the unlikely goalscorer, or if he'll revert back to what he knows with Ryan Manning, as it would be harsh to drop the Brazilian after that unbelievable moment of magic.
Matsuki and Stephens didn't set the world alight, but the veteran centre-back thankfully didn't let another error ruin his day.
The ex-FC Tokyo winger failed to offer much of a threat, when analysing his display, so he could be in danger of being dropped for this coming Tuesday night against Swansea City.
While the 33-year-old got the majority of his calls right when it came to the starting XI, he left a lot to be desired with his in-game substitutions, with some bewildering calls disrupting Southampton's flow.
His in-game substitutions cost the Saints though
Eckert is usually praised for his ability to change games with his options off the bench.
Indeed, bringing Divin Mubama on during the Stoke City home game last month helped the Saints break down a stern Potters defence, with a late Mubama strike clinching a nervy 3-1 win.
This time around, however, zero of the substitutes he threw on would change the complexion of the game, with the decision to bring off Leo Scienza, who was proving to be a tricky attacker for the Imps to handle, on the hour mark leaving many baffled in the away end at Sincil Bank.
Samuel Edozie would only muster up a forgettable 13 touches of the ball from his 27 minutes of action in Scienza's place, with the ex-Manchester City attacker proving to be a lacklustre replacement mid-match.
Moreover, with the defence dealing well with the physicality of Lincoln for the most part, it was a strange decision to bring on Nathan Wood so late on, and move to a three centre-back system, as it just ended up inviting pressure on.
Consequently, the aforementioned Ladefoged would be the home side's last-ditch hero, as the joint management duo of Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw jumped for joy that they managed to steer their relegation fancied team to a deserved point against a promotion favourite.
Daily Echo journalist Dan Hargraves would sum it up well when he stated, after the dust had settled on the 1-1 draw, that Southampton "rode their luck far too many times and eventually it cost them."
On another day, if Scienza were kept on, Lincoln might not have grown into the game, and the Saints would have killed the match at 2-0.
The aggrieved Saints away following will be hoping for an immediate response to this underwhelming draw with a win on home soil against Swansea, but that'll be easier said than done, against a promotion force.
Yet, the South Coast giants beat Millwall 5-1, after losing in the EFL Cup, so they've managed to respond to worse setbacks, that's for sure.
