Southampton player ratings v Sparta Prague: Van Dijk struggles
COMMENT By Harvey Byrne
Football Insider rates the Southampton players after their 1-0 loss against Sparta Prague in Thursday’s Europa League match at Generali Arena.
Fraser Forster 7 – Can’t be blamed for the goal and made some vital stops to prevent his side from going two behind.
Cuco Martina 3 – Cedric won’t have been worried with his display, as the Curcacao international showed why he was the second choice right-back with a number of poor crosses.
Maya Yoshida 6 – Looked strong in defence when called upon and did his job well.
Virgil van Dijk 4 – An uncharacteristic poor display for the Southampton star. Should have scored with a header from a corner late into the second half.
Sam McQueen 6 – Made some good attacking runs in the first half, but was anonymous in the second half.
Jordy Clasie 6 – Struggled to get a hold of the game in midfield before being brought off for Charlie Austin.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 5 – Almost made a costly error in the first half with a backwards header and looked lost in the midfield.
James Ward-Prowse 6 – Caused some trouble with his set-pieces, but Southampton needed more creativity in open play.
Nathan Redmond 5 – Failed to influence the game and lost the ball on numerous occasions with poor play.
Shane Long 6 – Didn’t get any joy upfront against a strong back line.
Jay Rodriguez 3 – The 27-year-old forward is a shadow of his former self following his anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2014 and struggled again on Thursday evening.
SUBS:
Oriol Romeu (for Pierre-Emile Hojbjer 55 mins) 6
Sofiane Boufal (for Jay Rodriguez 55 mins) 5
Charlie Austin (for Jordy Clasie 72 mins) 6
In other Southampton news, why this Liverpool outcast would be perfect for the Saints.