Southampton picked up only their third win of the season with a 2-1 win over fellow newly promoted side Ipswich Town to breathe life into their battle to remain in the English Premier League, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Nigerian duo Joe Aribo and Paul Onuachu scored the goals that handed the Saints their first win under new coach Ivan Juric, and also lifted the mood around the team especially as it came against fellow relegation battlers.
However in the second half , the coach made a strange decision to move Aribo from his traditional role in the midfield to the defence, putting him as the left centre back in a three man center defence setup.
The decision sparked lot of debate after the game, but the coach while speaking on the win explained his decision by praising the adaptability of the Nigeria international to several roles.
“Joe [Aribo] for me is a great guy; everything for the team. He doesn’t care if he is a forward, at the back or in the middle. Today he played left centre-back and I think he did a great second half. We worked really hard, really well, and Joe today was great”, the coach said.
Ade Emmanuel