Southampton look to have hit a bit of form the last few games. After the most recent 4-3 win over Watford, it is exciting to watch this all-of-a-sudden prolific team perform.
The fans seem to appreciate the recent success the team has displayed as well. I know personally, I have been as excited with this team as I have with any in the past. The season, however, has not always looked this way from the club. The inconsistency at the beginning of the year was something that rattled many and left for plenty to question the players, board and management.
There is now a large enough sample size to conclude that this may be sustainable for the rest of the season, even with a more difficult schedule. What exactly has changed over the course of the season? Let’s take a closer look.
Claude Puel
The Frenchman has been one of the most scrutinised coaches in the Premier League this year. The fans have very high expectations with the last few years bringing much successes. However, Puel was thrown into a very difficult situation.
He was hired very late into the break before pre-season, which provided him with little time to get used to his team. There truly is something about a team trusting their coach and his tactics. Without this trust, you will not get 100% of their effort at all time. This is why I believe we had gone so long with a 4-3-3 formation. Although it may not have been our best formation, it is what he is familiar with running.
Without having an adequate amount of time to work with the team on this during the off-season, a lot of individuals showed discomfort being in positions they were unfamiliar. Throughout the season you have seen that Puel has adjusted to the strength of our line-up. He has found comfort in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The players are buying in to the tactics, there is a consistent, similar lineup each match, and players are put in positions to be successful.
We have always had the talent to be a top ten team. It was up to Puel to figure out how to do that and from the looks of things, we are heading in the right direction to finish close to where we did last season. It is time to believe in Puel as a potentially long-term solution for the club.
The players
It was never in any doubt that the club had talent. What I personally have had trouble finding is where the leadership was going to come from. After Virgil van Dijk went down with injury, and after selling Jose Fonte, we were truly lacking vocal leadership on the pitch. If you have ever played the game before, you know that having someone as that vocal leader on the pitch truly is just as important as talent.
This was recognisable in the first few games without Virgil. We have seen in the last few games though people stepping into this role such as the always unsung hero Steven Davis. Oriol Romeu has been someone that truly has shown a commanding mentality on the pitch as well. His confidence has never been higher and that has been thrust into a leadership position on the team. These two central midfielders are truly the heartbeat of this team and have stepped up to the plate in order to save the season from what looked to be turmoil.
Manolo Gabbiadini
I think it would be foolish of me not to include Gabbiadini in this article. The man has been able to score at will and it is terrifying for the opposition every time he touches the ball.
When I watch him play though, I am actually way more interested by what he does off the ball than what he does with the ball. To say this man makes brilliant runs is an understatement. Every single movement he has on the field is done with some sort of purpose.Teams have figured out that he is dangerous, so they are always looking to mark up on Gabbiadini. He is starting to get very good at making runs away from the ball to open up the field immensely.
This is giving Tadic a lot of space every time he gets the ball because Gabbiadini takes defenders with him every single time. The entire attacking threat of Saints has been reinvented just because this man is on the pitch. If we can avoid letting Gabbiadini go at all costs, I feel confident for what the future holds.
There are many things to point to for the recent success within the organisation. These three are the ones that stick out most to me. The exciting part about these three pieces is that it is a supporting formula for sustainability. This has the potential to be what our club can look like regularly.
Teams will look at Southampton on the schedule and know that they will have to give it everything if they want to have a chance. If we can find regularity in our squad without the major selling of players, continuing to trust in Puel’s tactics, and the fans showing the same kind of support as they did at Wembley week in and week out, I believe that we have the formula to be thrust into a successful position for many years.
