Southampton looked every bit as though they had nothing to play for as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Stoke City on Saturday.
Whilst it is true that they are unlikely to change their league position, Southampton fans would have been hoping for a reaction to two consecutive defeats in what was their final home game of the regular season.
Instead, they looked lifeless as manager Russell Martin rotated his side after the 5-0 thrashing by Leicester City on Tuesday night.
The likes of Che Adams, Adam Armstrong, Jan Bednarek and Flynn Downes all watched on from the bench as their teammates failed to grasp their opportunity to stake claims for their usual starting spots.
It was difficult for Martin to know how to approach the last two games of the season, with a balance to be struck between resting players and trying to gather some momentum ahead of the play-offs.
The performance against Stoke will have done little to calm any woes about Southampton’s form ahead of the play-offs, with Samuel Edozie arguably the only fringe player seizing his opportunity.
One point of interest in the game was Martin substituting Taylor Harwood-Bellis at half-time and the Southampton boss explained his decision after the game.
Taylor Harwood Bellis substituted at half-time v Stoke
With the game meaningless in terms of league position, the half-time substitution of Harwood-Bellis looked a pre-meditated move.
With Southampton having endured a brutal fixture list due to having to fit in the postponed games against Preston and Leicester, this looked like a move agreed prior to the game to spread the minutes.
Captain Jack Stephens started the game in central defence alongside Harwood-Bellis after Martin hinted in the wake of the Leicester loss the skipper would now be a feature of the side.
Bednarek – who has had a very solid season – subsequently dropped to the bench.
It was the Poland international who replaced Harwood-Bellis at the break, with the Saints 1-0 down to thanks to Tyrese Campbell’s 36th-minute goal.
Stoke were the far more threatening of the two sides in the first 45 minutes and the ease at which they were getting in behind the Saints backline with one long ball over the top was deeply concerning.
That is exactly how their goal came about, with Ki Hoever’s long punt forward finding Campbell who beat Harwood-Bellis far too easily before slotting into Alex McCarthy‘s far corner.
Russell Martin explains Harwood-Bellis substitution
The ease with which Harwood-Bellis allowed Campbell to get his shot away was uncharacteristic of the 22-year-old defender.
The man on loan from Manchester City looked sluggish in the first-half and not the peerless defender Southampton fans have become accustomed to seeing.
Therefore, it was no real surprise to see the youngster not come back out for the second-half.
Martin was asked about this decision after the match and explained: “We were losing 1-0 at the time, but the decision was not personal on any of the players that come off.
“Taylor looked really tired. He’s played so many games and he is a young guy. That was probably the worst game he’s played for us all season.
“But he’s been amazing. We had someone on the pitch who looked tired and someone on the bench (Jan Bednarek) who has been incredible.”
Martin went on to confirm that Bednarek himself has felt fatigued of late, but that it was not a change that had been decided prior to the game, as he said: “Jan has actually been a bit tired himself. He needed a rest so they played 45 minutes each. It wasn’t the plan but we have to manage the squad in the best way possible.
“Taylor’s been amazing. He’s been one of our players of the season and he will play next week. There will be no problem.”
Harwood-Bellis was not the only man to be taken off at the half-time interval, with Shea Charles also being replaced by Joe Aribo.