Mark Hughes sets stall for survival bid with back-to-basics 4-4-2: Five things we learned from Wigan 0-2 Southampton

Mark Hughes set out his stall for life at Southampton with a classic dose of 4-4-2 in his opening match in charge of the club, a 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final win at Wigan. After two seasons of aimless possession football, at least Saints can be sure things will be different under their new manager.

‘Roll up our sleeves and get back to basics’ seemed to be the message from Hughes as he began his task of steering Southampton to safety. The problem is that they have been poor at the basics for some time now, and Hughes was given a clear indication of the size of the task he faces by League One Wigan, who could and should have been out of sight at half-time.

Hughes has been received with a reluctant acceptance by most Southampton fans. A poll which received more than 5,000 votes by the local Daily Echo asked ‘Is Mark Hughes the right man to take over at Saints?’ and it returned a 61-39 result in his favour. There might not have been many options, but Southampton desperately needed fresh impetus, and in Hughes they do at least have a manager who knows both the club and the league.

The stats were trotted out this week about the same old managers getting the same top-flight jobs, and Hughes is something of an uninspiring choice. But, perhaps because he is often lumped in that group with Sam Allardyce and Alan Pardew, the typical disparaging view of Hughes is one his managerial career doesn’t entirely warrant.

His achievements with Stoke City were creditable, claiming three top-half finishes in successive seasons while breaking the Tony Pulis mould, and his Premier League win percentage (35%) is higher than Pardew, Allardyce, Pulis or Roy Hodgson despite Stoke’s slide this season which ultimately led to his sacking.

It is not always easy to identify what a Hughes team consists of, but he has undoubtedly proved over the years that he can be a steady hand, and that is exactly what Southampton need. He now has two weeks to prepare the side for what will be a monumental fixture against fellow strugglers West Ham at a toxic London Stadium. It is a match which could define the tenure Hughes and another hopping back on the Premier League ride this season, David Moyes, and in which direction their careers go next.

Four more talking points from Wigan 0-2 Southampton

• One of the more interesting calls in Mark Hughes’ team selection was his goalkeeper. In the season before last, Fraser Forster went through nearly 12 hours of Premier League football without conceding, setting a new club record and pushing his case to challenge England’s No 1 Joe Hart. That seems a long time ago now – he lost his place to Alex McCarthy after Saints’ 5-2 mauling by Tottenham on Boxind Day and hasn’t played a minute in 2018. Hughes’s choice to go with McCarthy at Wigan suggests there will be no role for the 30-year-old Forster in the manager’s bid for survival, effectively ending his hopes of England selection ahead of a World Cup when the goalkeeping gloves are currently up for grabs.

• Manolo Gabbiadini’s afternoon summed up exactly what Hughes faces. The xG statisticians will tell you Southampton haven’t struggled to create chances this season, but they have been poor at converting those opportunities. Gabbiadini missed a clear one-on-one, and a penalty, and while Wigan keeper Christian Walton deserves credit for both, it is clear Southampton’s strike force is bereft of form and confidence.

• Martin Keown has always been a slightly strange pundit, making every point with a grave sincerity, but he seems to have reached new levels of odd poetic metaphors on the BBC this season, and his comparison of Wigan midfielder Sam Morsy with Franz Beckenbauer was bizarre.

• Could the FA Cup be an unwelcome distraction for Southampton? The club undoubtedly needed a confidence-boosting win but must now ensure a Wembley semi-final does not take away focus from the primary goal: Premier League survival.