Flynn Downes' stats for Southampton v Stoke - Is he finally stepping up to fill JWP boots? | OneFootball

Highlights

Flynn Downes was one of the big-name arrivals at Southampton during the summer transfer window.

It was a busy period for the Saints, with most of the focus on the many departures from St. Mary’s following the club’s relegation to the Championship.

Russell Martin was tasked with re-building the squad following his appointment as manager ahead of pre-season.

The south coast club is aiming to earn its place back in the top flight at the first time of asking this year.

Downes could be key to that ambition, with the West Ham midfielder arriving on loan from the Premier League side.

The 24-year-old was signed in the aftermath of James Ward-Prowse’s departure from the club after 20-years of being associated with Southampton.

Flynn Downes stats v Stoke City

Downes played all 90 minutes as Martin’s side earned a 1-0 win over Stoke City midweek, moving the team to 10th in the table.

Here we look at the midfielder’s stats from the game against the Potters, to see if he’s really stepping up as the ideal replacement for Ward-Prowse that many hoped he could be…

Looking at stats provided by Opta, via Fbref, Downes completed 92.7% of his passes from the base of a midfield three for Martin’s side on Tuesday night. Downes also had five progressive passes out of 55, underlining how good he was at getting Southampton up the pitch.

This is one of his primary roles in his position in midfield, making it crucial he is able to do this consistently. Only Ryan Manning and Stuart Armstrong completed more from the left flank.

The midfielder was also quite involved in the action in possession, and had two progressive carries, which got himself up the pitch as well.

While he isn’t expected to take on too many defenders, he was also successful in his sole attempt at dribbling the ball forward. He created one shot in the game from his deeper role, with these numbers all highlighting that he can still be quite involved in the attack even as a more defensively minded player.

How involved was Flynn Downes defensively against Stoke City?

Downes made two tackles and completed four interceptions, more than anyone else in Martin’s side.

His reading of the game was excellent, and he broke up Stoke’s play quite well, which helped give Southampton a defensively solid performance.

This was Southampton’s first clean sheet of the entire league season, and more displays like this could lead to even more shut-outs.

Downes had 71 touches overall, with only full backs Kyle Walker-Peters and Manning having more.

The 24-year-old made four clearances, and won both tackles that he attempted.

One of those tackles came in the team’s own defensive third, which is a positive sign for his ability to get involved in important areas of the pitch defensively.

That he didn’t need to get too involved also bodes well for Southampton’s overall performance at the back, with the team conceding just two shots on target all game.