Why disastrous Jones appointment could cost Southampton their Premier League spot

When Ralph Hasenhuttl was sacked in early November, Southampton were 18th in the Premier League table and one point adrift of safety. More than three months later, the Saints are bottom of the standings and four points behind 17th-placed Leeds. 

That is ultimately why Nathan Jones was relieved of his duties on Sunday. The Welshman was simply unable to make an impact at St Mary’s. Southampton lost seven of their eight league games under the former Luton Town boss. No team in the division picked up as few points as Jones’ side (3) since the day of his appointment. 

There were victories over Crystal Palace and Manchester City in cup competitions, but Jones was brought in to lead Southampton to safety and they are now in a worse position than when he took over. 

Southampton were thrashed 4-1 by Newcastle United in Hasenhuttl’s final game at the helm, with Eddie Howe’s team taking full advantage of their opponents’ defensive shortcomings.  

The Saints actually regressed in that regard under Jones. After shipping an average of 1.71 goals per game during Hasenhuttl’s games in charge this term, Southampton let in two per match under his successor. That was the joint-worst record in the Premier League during Jones’ 94-day tenure. Southampton did not keep a single clean sheet in that time either. 

💼 Nathan Jones, in the Premier League, as manager of Southampton:

8️⃣ Games: 8
✅ Won: 1
❌ Lost: 7
⚽️ Goals: 6
🥅 Goals conceded: 16

👋🏼 Southampton have parted ways after just 94 days in charge

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) February 12, 2023

They struggled in attack too. Only Crystal Palace and Bournemouth (both 5) scored fewer goals than their six. That statistic would have been even worse were it not for James Ward-Prowse’s set-piece prowess: only two of Southampton’s six goals under Jones were from open play.  

The Saints were not exactly pulling up trees going forward under Hasenhuttl, when they averaged 0.86 goals per game. Yet that dropped to 0.75 per match with Jones on the touchline. 

Worse still is the fact the fixture list was relatively kind to Jones. He faced Liverpool in his maiden encounter, but they were the only big-six side the Welshman came up against. Jones did not manage a Premier League game against any of the current top five.  

The deployment of Ward-Prowse in a more advanced midfield role was interesting, but Jones was guilty of muddled tactical thinking. Southampton lined up in 5-3-2, 4-2-3-1, 3-4-2-1 and 3-1-4-2 formations in his eight matches at the helm.  

Jones selected the same defensive line-up in back-to-back games just once. The decision to use Ainsley Maitland-Niles as a right-sided centre-back in Saturday’s loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers was particularly puzzling. 

That defeat to Julen Lopetegui’s side was the final straw. Southampton took the lead through Carlos Alcaraz in the 24th minute. Soon after Wolves were reduced to 10 men, with Mario Lemina given his marching orders. 

Yet Southampton somehow contrived to lose. Despite their numerical advantage, the home team had just 40.9% of possession. They also made fewer tackles (16 to 21) as Wolves outfought Jones’s men, who managed only two shots on target all afternoon.  

Results ultimately condemned the 49-year-old, but he did not exactly help his cause with some bizarre comments in press conferences and interviews. New managers are invariably afforded the benefit of the doubt, but Jones frittered away the goodwill and before too long, the fans had united against him.  

His constant promotion of his work at Luton is not what Southampton supporters wanted to hear when their team was bottom of the Premier League. Jones, quite simply, was out of his depth.  

Questions must also be asked of those who appointed him, not least because of how badly Jones had fared at Stoke City, his only previous managerial role away from Luton. They cannot afford to make another mistake when it comes to choosing Jones’ replacement.  

Steven Gerrard and Jesse Marsch are the early favourites, but that might simply be because of their familiarity to Premier League observers. Former River Plate boss Marcelo Gallardo has also been mentioned as a potential candidate, while Nuno Espirito Santo is thought to be keen on a return to English football. 

There is still hope for Southampton. Despite their dismal form of late, they are not yet cut adrift at the bottom of the table. January signings Alcaraz, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Paul Onuachu have already made positive impressions. But if the Saints do finish below the dreaded dotted line, the appointment of Jones will be held up as one of the main reasons why.