Tribal Football

Harwood-Bellis defends Martin and Southampton's style of play after Chelsea loss

Zack Oaten
Harwood-Bellis defends Martin and Southampton's style of play after Chelsea loss
Harwood-Bellis defends Martin and Southampton's style of play after Chelsea lossTribal Football
Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis has defended Southampton's tactic after their loss against Chelsea in midweek.

The 22 year old missed Wednesday's 5-1 defeat to Chelsea through suspension but wrote passionately in the match programme before the game about Southampton’s style of play.

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"There will be so many people that say, 'You're doing the same thing and it's not working and it's insane'," said Harwood-Bellis

"But we're doing things that are working if you watch the game back - actually watch it, not just as a fan, but football-wise and tactically in terms of what we should be doing - the results shouldn't have looked how they did, bar a few. 

"It's normal for fans to feel like that and that be the narrative. There will be a narrative from the outside, on Match of the Day, that it's insane to play out the back. 

"It's not, there's just times to do it. I'm a fan of a club - I know what fans want. It's going to be scary when we're playing the ball around the back, of course.” 

The Saints sit bottom of the league and have a tough game against Aston Villa this weekend to worry about. Harwood-Bellis admitted he can hear the fans' frustration on the sidelines but says they must be patient as he believes the way they are playing is working. 

"Those fans behind the goal, you can hear it. I'm not going to lie and say you don't hear it, the grumbles, but that's normal," he continued.  

"There was one when we played Everton and were keeping the ball around the back and I can hear the fans grumbling, and Cam Archer had a chance one v one. 

"If we do it properly, that's what happens. He doesn't want to make fifty-thousand passes and not go anywhere - that's not the principle of our football." 

"It's not the gaffer telling us, 'If you have a chance to run forward, turn back and play'. It's not the message we get and it's important people know that. 

"I get people saying to me, 'Is that the way you play? You just keep the ball?' No, it's not. Obviously, it's not. We want to score goals. 

The defender went on to say that he does not understand those who don’t see the vision on the pitch which he says will lead to wins eventually. 

"The best way for us to score goals with the players we have is to play. I just don't see how that doesn't make sense to people. 

"As a fan, you want to see people running forward, goals. Fans want to see hectic. I'm not talking about Saints fans here, I'm talking about football fans. 

"They would rather see a 4-3 win. As players that's not what you want, you want to control it. You want to win 2-0, solid. That's what we want as footballers." 

 

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