'Might work' - Southampton fans agree with Tonda Eckert's 4-4-2 change vs Oxford

Southampton fans agree with Tonda Eckert’s 4-4-2 formation change vs Oxford United for the Saints final Championship game in March.

It’s often said in football that don’t fix, when it ain’t broken. For Southampton, that translates to sticking with the same lineup, same formation and the same tactics for the next 8 games that have brought unbeaten success in the past 11 Championship matches.

The Saints have done the hard work of getting their foot inside the top 6 playoffs zone. Now, all that is left for Southampton is to defend the top 6 position until the final matchday of the season vs Preston North End. Or as Finn Azaz insisted to better the position on the table as much as Southampton can.

Tonda Eckert’s 4-4-2 change vs Oxford United

Tonight’s Oxford United clash at St. Mary’s thus holds enough importance for Southampton’s season. However, boss Tonda Eckert has gone for a massive change to everyone’s surprise.

So far, Tonda has developed a reputation of sticking with a 4-5-1 formation at Southampton and getting great results with it. For Oxford United, Saints official X account has dropped the lineup that sees Tonda sweep the 4-5-1 aside in favour of a 4-4-2 setup.

Now, this call is one of those risks that can either pay off well and every Southampton fan starts praising Tonda Eckert for it. Or, the Saints fail in their changed approach vs Oxford United and the next thing they see is Wrexham gaining a 2-3 point lead over them before the international break.

Southampton fans agree with Tonda Eckert’s 4-4-2 change

For now, it’s the former. Southampton fans are in agreement with Tonda Eckert’s 4-4-2 change vs Oxford United. The biggest reason for their acceptance to a two striker formation is down to the U’s tactical tweak for the evening.

One Southampton fan made a good observation saying: “Oxford seem to have changed to a back five. Their fans aren’t overly confident about that as they think 4-2-3-1 has worked well for them of late. Maybe Tonda preempted that hence Archer inclusion. Stewart to come on in the second half if need be.”

Facing a five at the back defence, it’s important to rely on the wingers as 2 strikers can be kept quiet by 3 centre-backs. Tonda Eckert seems to have prepared for this as well by adding Tom Fellows on the right wing instead of going with Matsuki as an attacking midfielder.

Another Saints fan commended the Fellows decision: “It’ll be fellows on the right, azaz in the middle and archer on the left like when Armstrong was on the wing. Im manifesting it.”

Honestly, Adam Armstrong as a winger was an out-of-the-box plan by Tonda Eckert but it worked like a charm. Him and Azaz used to slide through defences on counters and often make it 2-0, 3-0 for Southampton within the first half.

Without Armstrong, Tonda has mainly opted for Leo Scienza as the creative outlet from the left. The Brazilian has only just recovered from his injury, so, can’t fault him for going creative at Oxford United.

Likewise, Southampton fans are backing Cameron Archer to turn a corner and put a good shift tonight alongside Cyle Larin. A third fan added: “Archer has been awful every time I’ve seen him but might work in combo with Larin. Hope so”

The Southampton vs Oxford United kick-off is just minutes away. Here’s hoping a Southampton win to close March.