Saints boss, Ronald Koeman has revealed that he always believed in his side’s ability to finish where they did, despite the early scepticism that engulfed his unveiling as Manager last season.
When asked if he had always thought the Saints would finish in the place they actually ended up in and the manager responded in a positive way saying: “Always, it’s difficult because you’re working in the pre-season, you’re trying to take the best team in the way you like to play football. And little by little I was happy with the performances and the qualities of the team and we did a great job.”
Koeman has believed this from the start of his tenure. Last August, The Telegraph’s Jeremy Wilson reported that “Koeman is confident he is rebuilding with sufficient quality realistically to target a top-10 finish.” Fans should be happy to see their manager believes in his squad so much.
Koeman also seemed open to the idea of players leaving the club this summer when asked if he thought the 1 or 2 players linked with other clubs would be sold saying “Yeah, but that is normal.” This is interesting because until now it has been mostly positive, optimistic news concerning the future of players Nathaniel Clyne and Morgan Schneiderlin.
Saints fans should be happy as well because he does not seem afraid of European competition at all, even when teams like Everton struggle to balance domestic play and European competition. Hopefully a successful transfer window and stability at the managerial role can provide a successful season, with or without European competition.
For now Southampton fans must wait, lower their pride this Saturday and will, of course, be rooting for Arsenal.
