Southampton’s Victor Wanyama shows no remorse

Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama claims he isn’t reckless, instead he’s just “unlucky” to have received three red cards this season

After Victor Wanyama received his third red card of the season manager Ronald Koeman promised to have words with his star. Apparently the chat didn’t do much to impress upon Wanyama the error of his ways.

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Instead, Wanyama told The Daily nation that he “had just been unlucky at times” this season. He strongly denies the suggestion that he’s a dirty player. He also pointed out that none of his red cards were the result of abusive language or fighting.

While all of that is true, the comments show a clear lack of understanding and remorse on Wanyama’s behalf. He’s put his Southampton team in a terrible spot with his proclivity to get sent off. Three red cards is entirely too many for one season.

His latest red card against West Ham was indicative of how foolish his play has been for the Saints this season. He was clearly annoyed about West Ham attacker Dimitri Payet nicking the ball from him, and charged after him with fury in his eyes. When he caught up to Payet he launched himself into the challenge with both legs and scissor kicked Payet’s legs with considerable force. He came nowhere near the ball and was correctly sent off. See the video below for proof of the idiocy of the challenge.

While his teammates were able to persevere and hold on to the three points against West Ham, it’s still unfair of Wanyama to put them in that position. He’s got as much talent as anyone on the Southampton roster and should be a leader on the field. Instead, he’s let his teammates down over and over again.

Instead of coming out in the press and moaning about being unlucky, Wanyama should have taken responsibility for his actions. He needed to illustrate to the Southampton team and fan base that he understands the error of his ways. Instead, he came off as a player with no understanding of what he did wrong.

That has to concern Koeman moving forward. How can he trust Wanyama to correct behavior that he doesn’t even understand is wrong? The first step towards the Kenyan’s rehabilitation is admitting he has a problem. To date, he’s failed to do that.

Fortunately for Southampton, Wanyama will have a lot of time to think about his actions. He will be forced to miss the team’s next five matches as punishment for his actions. Perhaps Ronald Koeman can make him understand how to correct his tragic flaw.