Our Story: Southampton – Meet the manager, captain and returning hero

Southampton will not be affected by any external narrative on their return to the Premier League.

Saints have been tipped by many pundits for relegation after they were promoted following victory over Leeds in last season’s Championship play-off final.

They face a tough opener at Newcastle on Saturday, with Saints, Leicester and Ipswich being bookmakers’ early favourites for the drop. Sky Sports caught up with the manager, captain and returning hero ahead of the curtain-raiser at St James’ Park.

The manager: Russell Martin

Given the financial implications had Southampton not come back up at the first time of asking, manager Russell Martin admits failure to gain promotion would have had significant ramifications on the club.

“For me, it was very important,” the 38-year-old tells Sky Sports. “For the club, it was huge and it was vital and will determine the next five to 10 years for sure in terms of how the club will look and how we can carry on growing and building.

“If we didn’t get promoted, it would look very different in terms of how the team would be built. Given the number of staff the club has, there would have been financial implications so in terms of making sure people kept their jobs and those who have been here for a long time, it was a big relief.”

Like any previous side promoted via the play-offs, Saints have been hastily preparing for the step-up in class.

But their recent top-flight status already puts them at an advantage over a club like Luton Town, who were forced to play their opening two games last season away from home as Kenilworth Road went through the necessary stadium improvements.

St Mary’s is of Premier League standard, as are the facilities at Southampton’s state-of-the-art training ground, the Staplewood Campus in Marchwood.

The Championship play-off trophy holds pride of place as you walk through the doors of the Markus Liebherr Pavilion, named after the late former owner whose plaque beneath the club crest adorning the reception walls encapsulates his impact.

“Saved Southampton Football Club and blessed it with his vision: high-quality football, a respectful environment and a sustainable future. Thank you, Markus. This is your legacy,” it reads.

During the season Saints were relegated from the Premier League, these core principles were severely tested by a series of bad decisions. Put simply, Southampton had lost their identity.

’25 players told me they wanted to leave’

A club-record 25 league defeats, two managerial sackings followed by an interim appointment that wasn’t made permanent spoke of a division that had never been seen during Liebherr’s tenure and spelled relegation for the first time in 11 years.

The arrival of Phil Parsons as the new chief executive in June 2023 has helped get Saints back on the march. Jason Wilcox was appointed director of football, and while the 53-year-old has already departed to join Manchester United, fans are no longer angry at the demise of the team.

Faith is slowly being restored in owners Sport Republic. Looking back on when he was appointed 14 months ago, Martin says: “I’ve been relegated twice from the Premier League as a player so I knew it would be difficult.

“In the staff and the players, you feel it. The energy and the negativity from the season before, of course it carries over because you go away and it affects your whole summer. It affects everything.

“People worry about their positions, players want to get back to the Premier League. Out of the 31 players we had, about 24-25 of them had seen me and said that they were probably going to leave or would like to leave because of how they felt about the last year.

“It was more challenging than I thought it would be. When I arrived, I don’t think it was expected the club would have been relegated, whereas now we are better prepared for that moving forward in the hope that it doesn’t happen again.

“We hope we can stay in the Premier League and build something that is sustainable and keeps us there for a long time.”

Martin overcame a difficult start. He lost four of his opening eight Championship games. Defeat to Middlesbrough left the club 15th in late September but the new manager was steadfast in sticking to his playing style.

Responsibility was taken fully by the manager and patience was shown. A well-received fans’ forum helped in the alignment process. Trust in Martin’s brand of football was duly rewarded as a 22-game unbeaten league run catapulted the side into the promotion picture.

“There was still some scar tissue and negative feeling for sure from the season before but slowly over time that eroded and went,” admits Martin, who has averaged 64 per cent possession across five seasons as a manager at MK Dons, Swansea and now at Southampton.

“The players gave me everything in a brilliant and challenging year. From where we were to where we are now in terms of how it feels, how people are, it’s been amazing.

“That’s not to take a shot at anyone – three managers and relegation will of course take its toll so I’m just grateful for how everyone then bought into us and what they gave us.”

‘We set up a team that I would’ve loved to play in’

Buying into Martin’s philosophy entails being fearless on the ball and aggressive without it. “If it’s right some of the time, it is right all of the time,” is how he puts it to his players.

Last season, his side were top in the Championship for average possession (66.1), passes per game (667) and passes ending in the final third (179).

But there is nothing soft about Martin’s Saints.

No Championship side forced more shot-ending high turnovers than Southampton’s 82 while Opta’s stats for Passes Per Defensive Action (PPDA) – which measures pressing intensity – show they boasted the lowest average of 10.4 passes made by rival teams before they intervened with a defensive action.

So for those encountering Martin the manager for the first time, what can be expected from Southampton this season?

“My game model is to try to dominate the ball and to dominate territory,” he explains. “With that comes risk but we set up my team that I would have loved to have played in.

“When I played 600 games as a player, all the way through I was trying to learn as I wanted to coach and manage what was difficult to play against. I looked at certain players and thought I’d have loved to have been able to express myself like that.

“Why can’t I? Why didn’t I? I loved my career and I’m so grateful for it, but there were only a few games where I came off the pitch thinking I’ve been completely myself and there’s not been a decision made out of fear or I hadn’t been forced into anything.

“I can count on one hand the number of games that was the case. I made it to the Premier League being like that somehow. So if I was stripped right back and allowed to be the player I really wanted to be, I think what more I could’ve achieved.

“Maybe I maximised my potential, but it left me fascinated. I’ve been on this journey since I started playing. I knew I would want to then coach and you just refine things over the years with the teams I’ve enjoyed watching.

“Now, I get the chance to face the greatest manager currently in the game, which for me is Pep Guardiola. When I watch his team, I think it’s beautiful. This is the type of football I enjoy. It’ll be a privilege to see it up close and to test myself against that.”

Martin’s side ranked second-highest for shots per game (15.5) and expected goals per game (1.76) in last season’s Championship but he adapted his approach in the play-offs after losing three of the last four league matches.

Getting his team over the line showed another string to his bow, but Martin believes Southampton can only stay up by being true to themselves.

“For me, it would be crazy and illogical to get to the Premier League and then change it completely. We still need to have the intention of wanting to dominate the ball – we just need to be better at it. Of course, it’s going to be tougher and we’re going to have to be comfortable with teams having the ball.

“When we have it, we need to continue being the team that we are and remind ourselves of how the club has embarked on a journey with me and through the academy to build a certain type of player, a way of behaving where everything is aligned.

“To rip up a year of building and try something different wouldn’t make sense so we’re going to stick with it. It’s a beautiful challenge but I really believe we can surprise people but what I cannot and will not accept is for fear to overtake us.

“I don’t think we stay up playing ugly as that’s just not us. The chances of us staying up decrease significantly if we don’t try to be the team we want to be.

“I believe in this way of playing, not because I think it looks good. Yes, I enjoy watching it and being part of it, but if I didn’t think it was the best way to win, I wouldn’t do it. We’ll be defined by how we respond to setbacks.”

Martin has his sights set on creating talent, maximising potential and building something sustainable. Just as Liebherr would have wanted it.

The captain: Jack Stephens

Southampton’s players have been using the pre-season tag as favourites for relegation as motivation. “It’s part of the story,” says Martin.

“When we were written off last September by everyone outside, it became part of the story as well. My job as a coach is to convince the players that they are good enough to do what I’m asking them to do and to make them believe.”

One player who has taken on plenty of fuel since Martin’s arrival is Jack Stephens. The centre-back was on loan at Bournemouth during the second half of the 2022/23 season.

It appeared as though the 30-year-old had no future at the south coast club, and would likely have been sold had Southampton stayed up last year.

But Stephens was appointed club captain following the departure of James Ward-Prowse and under Martin, the defender has experienced a new lease of life.

“Leaving when I did that season was tough and it was initially out of my hands,” he tells Sky Sports. “It was a decision that was made for me which was tough to take.

“Once I got my head around it, I was very grateful to Bournemouth. I had to go there and do the best for their club.

“When I came back here for the Championship season, there were a lot of changes and the new manager was keen for me to stay. I got on with him and enjoyed the training the first couple of weeks.

“It was then such an easy decision to make to stay and be part of this. It’s a really positive place to be right now. The manager has made it quite clear that he doesn’t want to change his ways and the lads are fully on board with that.”

‘We can replicate 2012/13 success’

Intense training sessions with a relaxed environment off it is Stephens’ description of the Martin regime. Summer brought a change of scenery as the first-team squad headed to Spain supplemented by nine new signings.

Two players who needed no integration time are Flynn Downes and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who have now joined the club permanently after successful loan spells.

The challenge now is to try to emulate the success from the last time Saints were promoted in 2012/13, when a 14th-placed finish was achieved.

“I think there’s a lot of similarities to that team,” adds Stephens, who was part of the first-team squad that season without making an appearance.

“There’s the same togetherness and team spirit in the dressing room. You could see back then that the boys were very close. They were talented but the team spirit gets you over the line. We had tough times last year but we stuck together and that’s what helped us achieve.

“We have to do the same again, and if we do I don’t see finishing 17th as being the height of our ambition. The three clubs who last came up went straight back down, so staying in the league would be successful but we’re aiming for more.

“There’s room for optimism to finish as high as we can.”

The returning hero: Adam Lallana

With simplicity comes clarity. For Adam Lallana, being back at Southampton brings a familiarity alongside the experience gained for 585 appearances for club and country.

“It’s the same but different,” is how he describes his first few weeks since returning on a free transfer, 10 years on from leaving to join Liverpool for £25m.

There is nothing sentimental, however, about the 36-year-old heading back to his old club. Lallana has instantly warmed to Martin’s human side, but knows he has a role to play beyond guiding members of his squad, both young and older.

The unforgiving nature of the nine months ahead means Martin has already had conversations with the man only two years his junior about how best to utilise him this term with his training programme tailored accordingly.

“There’s a lot of similarities to what I was used to during the last couple of years at Brighton, “says Lallana, who describes his return to Southampton as a straightforward decision.

“There’s a lot of young lads here so I’m pretty sure I’ve brought the average age up by quite a lot. I’m really excited to work with them to help them reach their potential. Pressing [from the front] is something I’ve been used to my whole career having worked especially with Jurgen [Klopp at Liverpool].

“It’s slightly different way you get older, and luckily enough I’m fortunate now to have a manager who utilises me differently which I feel is a big reason why I’m still playing. I can’t wait to get going.”

Should Lallana play when Southampton visit Newcastle on Saturday, it would be his first Premier League game for the club in 10 years and 98 days, the fifth-longest gap between appearances for the same side in the competition’s history.

His last goal for the Saints came against this weekend’s opponents during a 4-0 win in March 2014.

“A lot has changed here as it’s been a good few years,” he reflects.

“There’s still a few staff I know creeping around in the background who were here 10-11 years ago but it is different. The club has evolved and moved forward.

“I’m just happy that it’s back in the Premier League. Hopefully I can help in any way to keep the club moving forward to retain our Premier League status. That’s the big challenge for us this year and what we want to achieve.

“We might lose the first two, three games but so what if we do? There are 38 games and last season has taught this group not to panic. Trust the process. We’re going to lose games this year, just like Manchester City will.

“What’s important is that when there are those moments, we can’t point fingers. It’s a long season and we’ll win and we’ll lose together.”