Southampton almost doubled the number of goals they’ve scored at home this season with a resounding 4-1 victory over struggling Everton on Sunday.
Two of these goals came from striker Charlie Austin, whose two second-half headers helped Saints on their way. It was the front man’s first Premier League start of the season, and he certainly had the desired impact.
Southampton have generally struggled to find goals this season, and despite dominating opponents possession-wise on many occasions, results haven’t gone our way, with our main problem being evidently in the final third.
Before Sunday’s game, Saints had scored nine goals from 162 shots so far this season, with an embarrassing conversion rate of just 5.6%. Now, this can be down to several different reasons, with manager Mauricio Pellegrino coming under fire from the Southampton faithful.
Pellegrino likes to play one striker up front, with an attacking midfielder in the hole, and two wingers. This formation is attack-minded, but hasn’t been working recently, with the forward players finding themselves isolated in attack, with very little options around them. This has led to us playing sideways and backwards football, a style which has caused frustration amongst supporters.
Now, I can openly admit that I am not one of Charlie Austin’s biggest fans, but he has certainly shown his threat in the box when receiving crosses, with his brace on Sunday giving Saints hope.
We are a side that likes to put balls in the box, however, we don’t seem to have any options to aim for when we put crosses in. But Austin is known for his heading ability, and if given some more game time, could put more chances away and give Saints a boost.
