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Southampton V Athletic Club Of Bilbao The Pre Season Verdict

There was not much ti be taken from this game in terms of the result, but there was perhaps one position decided for the opening day of the Premier League season against Everton next weekend.

Once again Ralph Hasenhuttl put out a mixed team for the second St Mary's friendly of the week and again James Ward Prowse was missing through injury.

The game game to life in the 33rd minute when Athletic Club put in a corner to the near post and Alex McCarthy came for the ball and got nowhere near it for an easy header home.

The second goal for the visitors came just before half time when Villalibre rifled the ball in off the underside of the crossbar, again questions had to be asked of Alex McCarthy who seemed to be expecting a low shot and the ball went past him just over head height.

Saints made a few changes at half time and they paid dividends within a minute when Tina Livramento with his first touches is a Saints first team shirt broke forward and put a lovely through ball for Theo Walcott to run onto and fire home.

Suddenly there was a different urgency to Saints and they pressed forward, Djenepo at left back surging forward with a great run that was ended when he was seemingly upended in the box, but replays showed little contact and he had gone to ground too easily.

But the Spaniards restored their two goal cushion on the hour when Jan Bednarek stretching to block a cross deflected the ball into his own goal, for the final scoring in the game.

So what could be taken from the game ? in terms of form and formation not too much, it was like Wednesday evening a team made mainly from one half of the squad, so it was hard to conclude much, we were strong in some areas, but weaker in others.

But there was one position that looks to have been decided, Ralph Hasenhuttl is seemingly yet to decide whether his number one will be Alex McCarthy of Fraser Forster, these last two friendlies will surely have made up his mind.

On Wednesday Forster looked confident and positive, whereas in the game on Saturday Alex McCarthy could be said to be at fault for the first two goals.

Worryingly the second goal was very typical of the type he was letting in just before he was replaced by Forster last season, too many were at the near post with the keeper floundering and half going to ground with the ball fired over his head and that was the case here.

Ralph Hasenhuttl will have a good idea what his starting line up will be next weekend, this game answered one big question, the next biggie will be whether there is a new signing in place to replace Danny Ings.

As I said a month or so ago, pre season friendlies are in the main not competitive, they are about questions being answered for the manager in individual positions, these two friendlies were not a team trying to gel, but a different half of the squad in each game.

Some would say that this game should have been about playing what the manager would see as his starting line up, but that has not been the case, he has approached it from a different angle.

So a week to go and in football a week is a long time, a lot could change in the next few days.

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