Southampton defender Mason Holgate has struggled since his move to St. Mary’s Stadium.
Mason Holgate, a defender for Southampton, hasn’t had much of an impact since joining the team during the summer transfer window. However, he may now have a chance to solidify his spot in the starting lineup as reporter Dean Jones talks about his inclusion in Russell Martin’s squad ahead of the weekend in an interview with GIVEMESPORT.
Holgate may have thought he would be a certain starter in the Championship after being demoted from the Premier League, but the English defender’s career hasn’t gone as planned thus far. In his little game time, the former Barnsley player has made a number of mistakes on the south coast, but this weekend against West Brom, he may get the chance to make an impression.
Holgate is going through a tricky period in his career after falling out of favor at Everton and being sent out on loan, but there’s a long time left in the campaign for the 27-year-old to turn things around.
Mason Holgate has been one of Southampton’s worst performers
Holgate signed for the Saints in the summer from Premier League side Everton on a season-long loan. The center-back endured a difficult start to his time on the south coast and quickly fell down the pecking order at St. Mary’s. Martin has given Holgate the odd appearance in a Saints shirt here and there throughout the season, but he’s certainly not a guaranteed starter.
Jones previously told GIVEMESPORT that Holgate had a ‘bad start’ under Martin but backed the defender to turn things around and become a success.
After Jan Bednarek picked up his fifth yellow card of the term against Millwall, the Polish center-back will now miss Southampton’s next game at the weekend. Whether Holgate is the man that Martin shows faith in remains to be seen, but with Jack Stephens out injured, the Southampton manager has limited options to play with.
Dean Jones update
Jones has suggested that this could be an opportunity for Holgate to start again this weekend and kickstart his Southampton career if Martin opts to bring him in with Bednarek out of suspension. The journalist adds that Holgate can undoubtedly play at a higher level than what we’ve seen him produce so far, and although losing Bednarek is a blow for the Saints, this is a chance for someone else to take their opportunity with both hands. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said…
“It’s definitely a blow to have Bednarek missing for a game of that significance, and it’s up to Holgate to take the opportunity with both hands. If you consider the minutes that Holgate has been on the pitch so far this season, they haven’t been minutes that have led to anything good. I think the only game that he was part of that they actually won, he played for one minute. You can’t say that he’s had the right winning mentality since coming into this team, and, obviously, there have been moments that he’s probably tried to forget because there have been some disappointing ones so far. But we know that Mason Holgate can play at a better level than what we’ve seen so far at Southampton, and I think that disappointment for somebody else is an opportunity for him to kind of start again.”
Russell Martin has a major issue which needs to be addressed
Although Holgate has stood out as a player who has struggled in the Championship with Southampton, he is part of a wider problem. In England’s second tier, no side in the top half has conceded more goals than the Saints, and considering Holgate has played just 201 minutes in the league, the issue runs deeper than just him.
It is obvious that there is no personnel issue because Bednarek, a regular for his country, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who won the division with Burnley last season, normally start together in the middle of defense. Martin uses a high-risk, high-reward style of play that emphasizes possession and playing out of the back. This approach will always have advantages and disadvantages. In their pursuit of promotion, Southampton will need to strike the correct balance.
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