Alex Grace’s takeaways from Millwall’s 2-1 win at Southampton: Next three league matches look vital for Lions’ survival prospects
Millwall defeated automatic promotion hopefuls Southampton 2-1 at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday – a huge shot in the arm to their Championship survival prospects.
Japhet Tanganga opened the scoring inside the first five minutes. His brave header from George Saville’s free-kick gave the Lions the perfect start on the South Coast.
Che Adams equalised midway through the first half after he headed Stuart Armstrong’s cross past Matija Sarkic.
Jan Benderek handled Michael Obafemi’s shot right at the end of the first half. Zian Flemming stepped up and converted via the post in what turned out to be the game’s final goal.
Here are Alex Grace’s four takeaways from a joyful trip to the South Coast.
HARRIS STARTS WITH A BANG
It’s been a tough start to 2024. Just one win, and that came on New Year’s Day. The Lions needed a boost, and they got it.
Neil Harris is Millwall through and through, and the emotion from the head coach, from start to finish at Southampton was everything the fans needed to see. He was given a rousing ovation when he emerged from the tunnel and went straight over to the 2,800 Millwall fans to get them going.
The level of performance is a factor in how the fans react. Regardless of the result on Saturday, what was important was that the fans saw a performance. Regardless of what people think about the appointment, Harris is the right man to galvanise the fanbase, get them united and supporting the team.
The scenes at full-time demonstrated that.
There was a clear element of togetherness in that team. The head coach pointed to the team and got the fans to direct their applause and adulation to them, rather than him.
Togetherness was a heavily featured word in his post-match press conference. He shook hands with every player at the end of the game and said he believes all of them are together and willing to fight for the team.
That performance proved it.
BACK TO BASICS WORKED
We would all love to see perfect football. It’s beautiful to watch Manchester City at their free-flowing best. It can be a joy to watch, but you have to have the players and budget for it.
Right now, in the situation Millwall are in, they needed to go back to basics and that’s what they did at St Mary’s. It was not pretty to watch, but it was effective. Having watched Harris’ football teams before, we know what we will see. It’s going to be a bit of a throwback, but at a time when there are so many teams in the league wanting to play out from the back, it is a recipe that could work very well.
This was a performance of the old-style Millwall. They came under the cosh, especially in the first half, but they stood up and were counted. Tanganga clearing an effort off the line summed up how much the result meant to them.
You can have all the possession you want – and make five times the passes of your opponents – but the only stat that counts is which team scores the most goals.
MASSIVE RESULT IN THE RELEGATION BATTLE
Even the most die-hard Rotherham United fan would say it seems pretty unlikely they will be playing Championship football next season, leaving two relegation spots to be filled.
Sheffield Wednesday have picked up of late, having won three of their last four games to reduce the gap to safety to just three points, putting the pressure on all the teams above them.
It was a big weekend for the teams at the bottom. Wednesday, QPR, Millwall and Huddersfield all won, which has dragged a few more teams back into the scrap. Stoke ended the weekend in the bottom three having been 19th before Saturday’s matches started.
Five points separate Steven Schumacher’s Stoke in 22nd, with his old side Plymouth in 15th. This weekend has undoubtedly opened up the battle to more teams.
THE NEXT THREE GAMES ARE CRUCIAL
Looking at the fixture list, you would pick the next three games as decent chances for Millwall to get some points on the board. Watford have been in woeful form since the turn of the year and talkSPORT reported over the weekend that they are set to part company with head coach Valerien Ismael. Should that happen, it will leave the Hornets searching for its 11th boss since 2020.
Home games for Millwall are going to be crucial. They have six left. Form at the Den this season has been poor. Harris has always had a strong record at home. Fans will turn up in their numbers on Saturday to get behind their side.
Then comes two games against the sides around them starting with trip to Blackburn, with John Eustace still waiting for his first win since taking the job. A victory there will drag Rovers right in. Birmingham then visit the Den. With Tony Mowbray having to step away temporarily, it gives the Lions a real chance of getting a result.
Six or seven points from those three games would change the outlook massively.
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