Wesley Hoedt was an unused sub against Huddersfield having signed only days earlier, should he go straight into the team now though ?

Probably the first answer from most Saints supporters would be yes, they would say that having been at the club for a couple of weeks now he could go in, however the reality is that straight after that trip to Yorkshire he was off to join the Dutch International squad and with so many of his team mates away on International duty it is likely that the full squad wil not be back together till Wednesday at the earliest meaning that he will have little more time to integrate than he has had so far.

The other issue is whether either Yoshida or Stephens deserve to be dropped, after all we have kept w out of 3 clean sheets in the Premier League so far this season, do they deserve to keep their places ?

To answer that I would say we need to bring in Hoedt now, although we kept those clean sheets the fact of the matter is that in both of those games chances were presented to both Swansea and West Ham were slack marking meant that they had free headers close to goal not to mention a few other occasions, from this point of view the clean sheet doen't tell the full story, only poor finishing saved us not good defending.

Against West Ham the writing was on the wall long before they actually scored, they had three clear chances were they had players left unmarked who really should have done better, not to mention the free header for their second goal where Forster pulled off a decent save only to see the rebound swept in.

So the reality is that we have paid £15 million for Hoedt for a reason, that being the case he needs to be straight into the side, there is no room for sentimentality and a good manager notices problems and deals with them before they cost him dearly.

In the medium term you would think that Hoedt would partner Virgil Van Dijk assuming that VVW returns to the fold completely, I don't think there are too many Saints fans who would argue that these would normally be the best partnership, but I dont think Van Dijk will play Saturday so we have to look at Hoedt first.

But who will be dropped ?

Will it be Yoshida ? I would think not, Yoshida is a player who gives you 100% but over the years he has shown he is prone to the odd mistake or two and despite his wholehearted performances both last season and this he is not a truly first choice Premier League player, good back up yes ! first choice no, but in the meantime I think he is best suited to partnering Hoedt on Saturday so I would keep him in the side.

That means that it would be Jack Stephens for the chop, that again is harsh, but thi is reality, Stephens undoubtably has a talent for carrying the ball forward and this perhaps glosses over the fact that he cannot seem to keep concentration and mark his man, too many times this season there have been free headers in the box and to be blunt its usually been Stephens not doing his job.

There are those who would say that I have always criticised him and that I have something against him, that is completely wrong I would love to see him succeed, but in every game this season he has let his man get away from him, sometimes a goal has resulted sometimes it hasn't I would say if you don't believe me, have a look at the highlights and then tell me Im wrong.

So that being the case I would bring in Hoedt alongside Yoshida on Saturday, it will be contrasting styles and certainly Yoshida would benefit from playing alongside a player who has more experience.

In the coming weeks though I think it has to be a Dutch combination of Hoedt and Van Dijk, they are the best in the club and on a different level to either Yoshida or Stephens, a strong central defensive partnership aligned with our strong holding midfield duo will allow us to pus forward more which will lead to the goal scoring problems being solved.

if we are setting our sights on breaking back into the top 7 and getting into Europe again then we have to set our standards higher than Yoshida and Stehens in the back four, I applaud their commitment and what they have done for the club, but going forward there can be no sentimality in football.

So who would you pick on Saturday in the centr of our defence against Watford? Cast your vote in our online poll using the link below !

https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/southampton/forum/208595/should-hoedt-sta

Photo: Action Images

redandwhitedee added 11:44 - Sep 6 Personally I believe you are missing an important option, that he was purchased to enable us to play with a back 3. Hoedt will play with Yoshida & Stephens (eventually VVD maybe instead of one of those 3). With Bertrand and Cedric, that would be a very strong back 5 and will allow bertrand/cedric to get forward and create more.
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aceofthebase added 12:23 - Sep 6 Good points Nick. Out of interest what do you think is the market value of Yoshida and Jack. I would think nearly 15 million each.
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SanMarco added 12:31 - Sep 6 I think he has to come in - obviously if redandwhite is right no replacement needed but I would agree that Stephens should make way and then Yoshida if VVD returns. Note to the Yoshi/Stephens fans: Yes that is tough but playing your best players is a pretty good idea and as was pointed out in the previous VVD article: Hoedt and VVD vs Manure OR Yoshi and Stephens??? It is an easy decision. PS - I withdraw most of the above if Hoedt proves to be useless and/or VVD continues to tantrum.

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TimSaint added 12:58 - Sep 6 I am not sure what attacking threat and style Watford will offer this weekend, as they have a new manager, approach and set up. One thing I do know is that Yoshi and Jack will always offer the opposition good chances and their performances continue to be littered with mistakes, which is unacceptable at this level. Even against Huddersfield, both players had awful errors in the first 2 mins, so imagine what would have happened if we had been punished. They do not like being pressed and their passing has become a little more wayward. I think Pell will ultimately want a Double Dutch as our centre back pairing, but until VvD is back, Hoedt will be drafted in gently and both Yoshi and Jack will eventually drop down. As for playing a back 3, after the Wolves debacle, I don't think this will be utilised again until perhaps VvD and Hoedt are settled into the team. As for player values, I would put Yoshi at around 10 mill and Jack at around 8 mill, although I'm sure they would not generate too much interest from other Prem sides.

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bstokesaint added 13:15 - Sep 6 I thought the goals conceded against West Ham resulted from Romeu getting rolled on the edge of the box for the first and the full back (can't remember which one - Cedric?) losing his man for the second, pretty much meaning in didn't matter who was it the middle of defence. So yes not the true picture. Also, I'm not naïve to suggest VVD isn't no.1 choice and the new guy presumably will be no.2, but suggesting Yoshida is not a "first choice Premier League player" is cr&p. He'd be first choice for a number of PL clubs and has barely put a foot wrong for us after a run of games. If you want to say I want to see two world class defenders at the back then just say that, but don't insult the guy.

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bstokesaint added 13:39 - Sep 6 I should also add that it seems even harsher given the fact we don't exactly have any other world class players further up the pitch!
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patred added 13:45 - Sep 6 If Hoetd is injury free, and fit, after his international games then he has to go straight in. There have been glaring mistakes in central defence despite our results, no use waiting till those mistakes cost us points. It's the manager's job to select the best team available, and Hoetd is available, and obviously, he has been bought to strengthen the team. Both Yoshida and Stephens have had their opportunity to make a case for their inclusion, and both being professionals will accept the manager's decision. As for playing 3 central defenders with the players we have..no chance after Wolves ripped us apart. Our squad lacks confidence going forward at the moment, most likely because our central defence worries them. Any improvement there could lead to a more attacking outlook and more goals scored. Remember, we have not played any of the stronger sides yet. Eventually, if everything goes to plan we will have an all Dutch central defence, until then Yoshida and Stephens still have roles to play, and I am confident they will continue to give their very best.

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Mushty added 13:54 - Sep 6 Their were stories emanating from the Lazio fans forums that one of the reasons Hoedt struggled for contention over there was that he couldn't adapt to playing in a 3, a system Lazio used. They say he didn't have the pace and mobility for the job and more suited in a 2 CB.
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SaintBrock added 14:17 - Sep 6 Most of our international players will be free of their call-up duties tonight and making their way home. Under normal circumstances all should be fit and fully recovered by Saturday. Some might have minor injuries that we will learn about at Friday's press call. On that basis we could and probably should field an unchanged team. Two factors militate against this at CB, Yoshi has a very long journey home from a time zone several hours ahead of ours so jet-lag and re- acclimatisation will maybe have an impact on his ability to fully concentrate on the task in hand. So you have to look at his match fitness in a wide range of attributes not just physical. Secondly, CB is a position that manager's do not plan to sub during a match so if they are forced to do so it is for them a wasted sub of the three allowed. If we play Hoedt as a starter it is a risk but so it will be if we start Yoshi if mentally fatigued from his travels. We know what we get from Yoshi whereas Hoedt is an unknown quantity in the 'super heat' of the PL (that's actually a joke remark by the way). If I were Pellegrino it would be a well rested Stevens and a slightly weary Yoshi who would start for me. Hoedt needs to be brought up to speed at Staplewood for a week or two more before he starts with Yoshi. van Djke needs a few weeks to recover full match fitness, if he is to play again for us it is most likely he'll come in against Manure.

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Bettwsresident added 17:45 - Sep 6 This is the managers decision, he sees them in training, why pontificate from a position of incomplete facts?
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saintmark1976 added 17:59 - Sep 6 Any of the above mentioned could play but that's not the problem. What is a problem is the vast choice of serial under achievers who play in front of them,none of which are able to put the ball in the net on a consistent basis. We had a problem scoring enough goals last season and nothing that has been done by the board during the close season or transfer window has corrected this situation. Regretfully I think this omission will be what is remembered at season end.

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skiptonsaint added 19:25 - Sep 6 After VVD I don't think there is much between Hoedt , Jack and Yoshi. Do we rotate them depending what sort of attack we are facing. Ie Hoedt against Man U but against a Hernandez type Stephens ? Whatever we do I would say in all my years supporting saints I have never seen us have four good strong between central defenders. A further comment on this is surely it made sense to send the polish lad and Gardos out on loan even if we paid their wages at a lower club. Can't see them getting any opportunities this year even in the FA cup. This debate is a mark of us building a very strong squad from the back though. Surely this will allow us to push more people forward and score some goals ...lets take some risks and get some excitement back. We must not be last on match of the day ever again!

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pete_boggs added 09:31 - Sep 7 Hoedt will play Saturday and Hoedt and VvD will play from then on. At last a potentially safe pairing. It will be interesting to see what Academy product Reed shoe-horns in when he gives Pellegrino the team sheet. Pellegrino would go up in my estimation if he follows Koeman's way and ignores Reed and doesn't include any Academy players just to keep Reed happy as at the moment they are not quite up to it.

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IWOZTHERE added 13:27 - Sep 7 Don't know, never watched him. How many on here have?
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