Southampton: Carabao Cup semi-final a boost for Sport Republic owners

James Ward-Prowse has scored 4 goals successful his past 5 games for Southampton

In January 2022, Southampton were taken implicit by Sport Republic, with main enforcement Martin Semmens describing it arsenic "a pivotal moment" for the club.

So what's going on? Has the rot acceptable successful oregon is it conscionable teething problems for ambitious caller owners?

A Carabao Cup semi-final archetypal limb against Newcastle connected Tuesday suggests immoderate progress, truthful BBC Sport went successful hunt of answers.

• Listen to the afloat interrogation with Ankersen and Semmens connected BBC Radio Solent
• News, investigation and protagonist views connected our dedicated Southampton page

A miserable twelvemonth connected the pitch

Out of the 17 teams that started and ended 2022 successful the Premier League, Southampton picked up the fewest points (31), mislaid the astir games (21) and had the worst extremity quality (-32).

It did not person to beryllium that way.

Excellent signifier done January and February 2022 brought memorable results against Spurs and Manchester City arsenic good arsenic advancement to the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Then their play imploded.

"They went to Aston Villa, got caned and ne'er recovered," said BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore of a 4-0 hammering astatine Villa Park successful March. "They fell disconnected a cliff."

From ninth with 35 points aft 26 games, they picked up lone 5 much points and finished 15th.

This season, an encouraging triumph implicit Chelsea successful August was followed by conscionable 1 triumph successful 13, Ralph Hasenhuttl being sacked and the temper connected the southbound seashore mutinous.

Money to walk - but however successfully?

Investment was overmuch needed astatine Southampton aft years of haemorrhaging talent, with cardinal players including Virgil van Dijk and Danny Ings leaving for pastures caller since 2018.

In the summer, much than £70m was splashed connected breathtaking young players including Manchester City youngsters Romeo Lavia and Gavin Bazunu.

However, the departures of experienced pros Nathan Redmond, Fraser Forster, Shane Long and Oriel Romeu near a enactment gap, with erstwhile Saints midfielder Jo Tessem arguing determination has been excessively overmuch change, excessively soon.

"There is simply a semipermanent program and they volition get better," helium said. "They are talented - Lavia is 1 of the apical 3 champion young players successful the Premier League successful my view.

"But, due to the fact that they person sold truthful galore bully players, determination is excessively overmuch work connected the younger players."

Ankersen disputes this, citing signings of internationals Joe Aribo and Duje Caleta-Car arsenic grounds of a much pragmatic approach.

"We said goodbye to lone 1 starting XI subordinate successful Romeu," helium said. "And our strategy is aligned with what Southampton has been for galore years, turning imaginable into excellence.

"We've got immoderate truly breathtaking talents that tin beryllium among the world's best, but it's ever a balance."

Semmens agrees, saying: "There is simply a wide program and we are going successful the close direction."

Southampton podcast The Saints Score co-host Harry Tizard appreciates their logic, telling BBC Sport "a youthful dressing country breeds inconsistency".

"When you are losing and your squad person not experienced the tougher broadside of football, it tin beryllium difficult," helium said. "We cannot vie financially, truthful we person to instrumentality a antithetic approach."

Indeed, connected Monday, Southampton recalled 26-year-old Jan Bednarek from his season-long indebtedness astatine Aston Villa, with brag Nathan Jones citing the request to adhd much "experience" to his defence.

For Blackmore however, it's a straightforward problem. Southampton person needed a goalscorer for a agelong clip - and nonaccomplishment successful the summertime to code the contented made this season's problems inevitable, adjacent if a caller tactical tweak has brought much goals for James Ward-Prowse.

"Ralph was promised a striker and helium ne'er got one," helium said. "If they'd made the signing, they would not beryllium successful this presumption and helium mightiness inactive person his job."

The caller antheral astatine the helm

Nathan Jones has won 1 and mislaid 5 of his archetypal six games successful the Premier League

Luton Town brag Jones replaced Hasenhuttl connected the eve of the World Cup and had 5 weeks with his caller players. That, according to Blackmore, did not help.

"He'd promised his squad would person a wide individuality and helium had each that clip to beryllium prepared for the Christmas fixtures but it seemed to person nary impact," helium said.

"Perhaps the players got bored with grooming with nary games. He didn't get a honeymoon period."

Tessem agrees, saying successful the Boxing Day decision to Brighton, Saints looked similar they were playing idiosyncratic "from a antithetic division".

Form reached its nadir against Nottingham Forest astatine St Mary's earlier this period arsenic Southampton had nary shots connected people and mislaid astatine location to the division's worst squad connected the road.

With the press, Jones has chopped a frustrated fig astatine times. Three awesome wins successful each competitions crossed 7 days against Crystal Palace, Manchester City and Everton helped instil confidence, but a constrictive nonaccomplishment astatine location to Aston Villa connected Saturday prevented Saints overcoming what helium described arsenic "the archetypal intelligence barrier" of escaping the bottommost three.

"I anticipation idiosyncratic is advising him to beryllium little antiaircraft successful interviews," said Blackmore. "He does not person to warrant his existence. He needs to get radical connected his side."

Crucially, his bosses are connected board. It's not successful Southampton's DNA to marque knee-jerk managerial decisions.

Ankersen admitted Jones was "never going to beryllium an assignment for large PR" but his grounds arsenic manager of the twelvemonth successful the Championship past play - "Europe's sixth-biggest league", the co-owner insists - suggested helium could beryllium palmy astatine a higher level.

"He ticked boxes for us," said Ankersen. "We needed a manager who believed successful what we believed in. We knew the issues - squad togetherness, acceptable plays, keeping cleanable sheets and being harder to beat.

"He has a way grounds of fixing these."

Tizard agrees with the connection from Sport Republic: "Most things they said made sense," helium said. "You person seen a squad successful caller games that are playing for their manager."

The owners' task could get lift-off if they tin sneak past Newcastle and scope a archetypal home cupful last since 2017.

• Our sum of your Premier League nine is bigger and amended than ever earlier - travel Southampton successful the BBC Sport app to marque definite you ne'er miss a moment