Southampton lost 3-0 to Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.
Southampton’s pre-season preparations took a hit on Saturday afternoon as they were beaten 3-0 by Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach at St. Mary’s Stadium.
The Saints had picked up successive wins over Dijon and Celta Vigo, but were found seriously wanting in a disappointing display against Gladbach.
Southampton fell behind on 21 minutes as a fine move saw Patrick Herrmann tap home at the back post from Fabian Johnson’s fine run and cross.
Midfielder Denis Zakaria then made it 2-0 with a driving run and long-range strike without being challenged, and Herrmann grabbed the third with a calm finish after Gladbach had again advanced down the pitch unchallenged.
It was a hugely concerning performance from Southampton, with a host of players struggling for form, and midfielder Mario Lemina particularly struggled in the heart of midfield.
The Gabon international has been missing with injury of late, and looked rusty in his 62-minute appearance, looking far from the player Southampton agreed to sign for £20million last summer (The Guardian).
Lemina has been strongly linked with a move away from the South Coast this summer, with Sky Sports recently claiming that West Ham United want to sign him if they sold Cheikhou Kouyate – which they now have.
Yet after the game against Gladbach, Southampton fans tore into Lemina’s display, suggesting that he should be sold to West Ham because he is ‘lazy’, with others claiming that he was showing no effort, a shocking attitude and must be moved on, with one fan suggesting that the midfielder should be embarrassed by his performance.
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