Southampton Coach hails Joe Aribo over 5-0 Swansea defeat
Super Eagles midfielder Joe Aribo has received a pat on the back from his Southampton Coach Russell Martin after scoring for the side in the whitewash of Swansea on Tuesday.
Aribo opened the floodgate of goals for Southampton scoing the first goal in the 17th minute before his teammates Edozie, Fraser and Adams went on goal harvest with Fraser grabbing a brace. Aribo’s goal marked his first in the last fifty days and a sign of better opportunities to come for the former Scottish Rangers ace.
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He scored his last goal for the English team on October 1, 2022, in their 2-1 Premier League loss to Everton before they were demoted to the second-tier league at the end of the 2023-2024 season.
After Southampton’s emphatic win over Swansea, Russell told reporters how at ease he had felt starting Joe Aribo against Swansea, describing the Nigerian as “a beast” in training.
“When Joe Aribo wasn’t playing, he didn’t show frustration with the players, he trained like a beast. He would come to speak to me and get his frustration out,” Russell said.
Recall that Aribo started experiencing a lack of form and lack of game time before Southampton were relegated to the Championship at the end of last season. Unfortunately, he has not been able to regain his form consistently aside from in the game against Swansea on Boxing Day.
So far this season, Aribo has managed to start in six games of the eighteen games he has featured in, but the Nigeria international doesn’t see that as an issue.
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“For me it’s all about being a good teammate, being there for my boys, because we all go towards it together. There’s no one man in a team, it’s everyone,” Aribo said.
“It’s been a long time coming! Someone asked me earlier on Tuesday ‘What would I want for Christmas?’ and I said ‘to score’, so I’ve got my wish, thankful to God.” Southampton will next face walsall in the FA Cup on January 6.