Yahoo News Russell Martin slams 'pathetic' Southampton after Leicester City thrashing
Southampton head coach Russell Martin has branded his side "pathetic" after Leicester City took a step closer to the Premier League with a rampant 5-0 win on Tuesday night.
Abdul Fatawu scored a hat-trick at the King Power Stadium, his first in his career in another impressive display by the forward. Wilfred Ndidi made it 2-0 in the second half before Jamie Vardy scored his 18th goal of the season.
The three points means Leicester will be promoted to the Premier League if they beat Preston North End on Monday night. For the Saints, their fate in the play-offs have been confirmed to end their hopes of automatic promotion.
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Martin was a frustrated figure on the touchline in LE2 and he didn't hold back in his criticism of his players after the thrashing. Speaking to the press, he said: “I don’t know [what happened]. I thought we were good for 60 minutes. We didn’t create a huge amount but we were growing as it went on,” he said.
“We have a fundamental problem at the back when we go 2-0 down. I did not like what I saw from my team when we went 2-0 down, not one bit. Self-preservation, don’t want to add value to your team-mates, body language (throwing arms up in the air).
"Really weird because we played some brilliant stuff on the ball. But it’s pointless if you don’t want to defend properly, absolutely pointless. I did not like that one bit and it surprised me.
“They need to show love for each other and pick each other up. I’m fed up of doing that. They’re professionals.
"I’ll be there for them and we’ll learn from it but it’s not my job to make them feel good about tonight. They need to feel some pain, the same pain I’m feeling.
"I’m the leader of that team and that reflects on me. That’s not me as a character or what I built my career on (rolling over like that). It’s actually pathetic [that] it ends 5-0. It’s their job to rally around each other now. Unfortunately tonight, it opens us up to criticism.”
