Matt Targett says he is loving the run of matches under new manager Claude Puel and says his recent run in the first team has given him valuable experience as he starts his third professional season with the club.
Targett has been key to Southampton’s squad during these first three games, with first choice left-back Ryan Bertrand currently sidelined. The 20-year-old also contributed heavily in Southampton’s pre-season, rotating with Sam McQueen at the left-back slot, with Bertrand having some extended holiday because of his European Championship participation prior to joining up with the squad.
Across the reign of Ronald Koeman, Targett received his critics after some arguably poor displays in past seasons but, even though The Saints as a collective have found it tough to hit the ground running, Targett has had a good start to the 2016/17 season.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Targett has expressed his newly-found confidence going into games:
I’m straight into the team like last year, so I learnt from last year and I’m building on that.
I’m still young, still learning and developing my game.
With the system, the full-backs have to be wingers. There are a lot of midfielders so if we lose the ball, they can drop in and cover you. We just have to be attacking and supply the width.
Sometimes there are lots of gaps but that is how the manager wants us to play. I think it is new from Ronald (Koeman). With every manger they all have different ideas.
From all our pre-season games we have continued to get better each game. We just need to get that end product and put the ball in the back of the net.
We just need to be a bit more clinical and our final ball, final cross needs to be better.
Matt Targett looks to continue his run of game during the international break, as he’s currently with Gareth Southgate’s England under-21 squad as they prepare to play a crucial European Championship qualifier against Norway in the coming days.
