Friendly match tomorrow August 11th at 8PM at St. Mary's Stadium. It's a pity, as they are nearby, they didn't plan a friendly with WFC. Maybe they feared too many players would have been confused as to which team they should be playing for? :]]
Southampton 0-4 Udinese: Premier League new boys embarrassed by Italians in pre-season In their final preparation game before the start of the new league campaign, the Saints were taught a footballing lesson by the Serie A side and goal scorer Antonio Di Natale Southampton were taught a footballing lesson by Udinese in their final pre-season match as they lost 4-0 to the Serie A side. The Italians scored three superb goals in the first half, with Antonio Di Natale and Willians both scoring sensational long-range goals, before Di Natale added a third with a crisp volley. The second half was something of a disjointed affair, but Luis Muriel managed to add a fourth for Udinese before the quality of play became undermined by numerous substitutions from both sides. Southampton selected a strong side in their final pre-season friendly, handing starts to Rickie Lambert and also new summer signings Nathaniel Clyne and Jay Rodriguez. Udinese also named a strong starting line-up, and included a great deal of substitutes in their squad, clearly keen to rotate and have a good look at a number of their players against the newly-promoted Premier League side. The home side began the game well, and thought they could have had a penalty in the opening minutes, as Lambert appeared to be brought down in the area, but referee Mike Dean ignored their appeals. However, Udinese seemed unperturbed by the early inroads made by Saints, and immediately saw left-back Pablo Armero have a fierce shot saved well by goalkeeper Kelvin Davis. The away side then took the lead in the 12th minute, as striker and captain Di Natale hammered a superb shot from 20 yards into the top corner, stunning the home fans into applause for what was a sensational strike. Despite conceding the early goal, Southampton had made a fairly good start to the game, and saw James Ward-Prowse show great strength and perseverance before hitting his shot straight at Zelijko Brkic in the Italian side's goal. However, Udinese were clearly confident in their shooting ability, and Dusan Basta saw his shot from range fly just wide of the post in the 21st minute. This confidence helped the away side double their advantage in the 24th minute, as Brazilian midfielder Willians hit a long-range shot that whistled into the net, doubling Udinese’s advantage and once again bringing the Saints fans to their feet in appreciation. Southampton continued to press forward, and came close to halving the deficit almost immediately, as Rodriguez saw a superb header tipped over the bar after a cross from Morgan Schneiderlin. The home side then created another excellent chance just three minutes later, as Ward-Prowse played a superb ball through to Jason Puncheon, but his shot was gathered low by Udinese goalkeeper Brkic. Despite this, and the greater role starting to be played by their central midfielders, Southampton found themselves 3-0 behind in the 36th minute thanks to a volley from 10 yards out by Di Natale, who scored his second of the game. The second half began with a number of substitutions, with the home side bringing on Billy Sharp, Luke Shaw, Steven Davis and Paulo Gazzaniga in the hope of igniting a recovery. Sharp made something of an instant impact, as with his first touch he sent a header just wide from a corner by Nathaniel Clyne. The home side then had their best chance of the game in the 49th minute, as a superb move involving Adam Lallana and Steven Davis set up Puncheon, who let fly with a vicious shot that flew just wide of the post. However, Southampton could not make the possession pay, and Di Natale saw an effort deflected onto the post by Shaw, before Roberto Pereyra saw a shot saved well by substitute goalkeeper Gazzaniga. Udinese then took advantage of more slack Saints defending in the 64th minute, as Di Natale took a superb touch in the penalty area to set up substitute Muriel who added a fourth goal from close range. The game then became very disjointed from that point on, as Udinese began to rotate their squad and brought on a number of substitutes. Southampton struggled in the meantime to create any further chances, although Jos Hooiveld saw a header from a Luke Shaw corner go over the bar. However, neither side could create any further chances in the game, and the final whistle blew, with the 4-0 result leaving Saints manager Nigel Adkins with plenty of questions to answer before the new season begins.
