Southampton star Perraud limps off in distress against Bournemouth while Walcott shows rest of team tactical note
THEO WALCOTT made the most of his team-mate’s injury to pass on some much-needed tactics.
Southampton defender Romain Perraud went down with a problem ten minutes before half-time against relegation and south-coast rivals Bournemouth at St Mary’s.
But as the gutted left-back limped off gingerly and was replaced by Ainsley Maitland-Niles, manager Ruben Selles took advantage of the stoppage in play.
The Southampton boss jotted down some notes on a piece of paper – possibly a change of shape following the enforced substitution – and veteran forward Walcott was tasked with sharing the information to his team-mates.
The ex-Arsenal man, 34, headed across to the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Adam Armstrong, Mohamed Elyounoussi and Jan Bednarek showing them the handwritten slip.
And that prompted plenty of witty comments from fans watching on at home.
One said: “What did that note say because f*** me we look shell shocked at the moment.”
Another wrote: “Looked like that piece of paper confused the hell out of everyone including Theo – we really look clueless.”
A third quipped: “Walcott showing the whole team a note that says, ‘Please stop being so s***.'”
While one fans Tweeted a picture of a note, simply saying “Shoot”.
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The relegation clash was 0-0 at the time with Saints knowing a third home win of the season would pull them right back into contention of staying up
Selles’ side started the day four points adrift of 19th-placed Everton at the bottom of the table.
But adding three points to their tally of 24 would bring them within three of safety with five matches remaining – and drag Bournemouth into trouble again.
However, their first-half performance produced just one shot on target and left many supporters worrying about their club’s top-flight status.