Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Southampton, still winless in the Premier League this season, found themselves 3-0 down in the first half against Bournemouth. However, a glimmer of hope emerged when Harwood-Bellis pulled one back early in the second half. Reflecting on the match, the England youth international admitted that Saints were punished for switching off and emphasized that their reaction to conceding was not up to par.
Harwood-Bellis shared his thoughts on the game, focusing on both the negatives and the positives of Southampton’s performance.
Harwood-Bellis said “We started well but our reaction to the goal was not good enough. Then we came out in the second half and we played how we wanted to play,” he noted. “We were a team that we wanted to be. We hurt them, and we look more like a team, more of a threat, and we defend properly. As you see, we didn’t concede in the second half and we scored a goal.”
Addressing a pivotal moment in the match where a quick free-kick led to Bournemouth’s opener,
Harwood-Bellis said, “It was a quick free kick. I kind of turned my back and he’s done that. That’s what happens in the Premier League. That’s the MOMENT they’ve been waiting for. Obviously, for us as a team, that’s not good enough, the reaction. You see we can win games. It’s not a reflection of the manager or the staff. That’s far from what we want for them. That’s not them, they give us everything.”
The young defender clarified that the defeat was not due to team selection, but rather how they played.
Harwood-Bellis said “I think it’s the way we played., that’s us. We had people in positions in the first half, and we weren’t clean with the ball, and we didn’t defend properly. I think if you look at that team, we have more than enough to win that game. Definitely not be 3-0 down. They give us a lot going forward and a lot of running – that did help, but in the first half, that’s down to us and how we play, nothing to do with selection.”
Harwood-Bellis also touched on his personal performance and areas of improvement.
Harwood-Bellis said “I’d rather not score and not concede three. It’s stuff I’ve been working on in training, just trying to be more of a threat in the box. I wouldn’t say I’m happy by any stretch of the imagination.”
Despite the defeat, Harwood-Bellis remains optimistic about the team’s potential, especially glimpsed in the second-half performance. The focus now is on building consistency and ensuring such lapses do not recur.
