James Ward-Prowse is among a clutch of Southampton players who have had indifferent starts to the season.
The midfielder burst into life under Ralph Hasenhuttl in the second half of last term, emerging as one of the manager’s most trusted charges.
Ward-Prowse has been a reliable player for the Austrian in the opening exchanges of the new campaign, but it would be fair to say that he has yet to hit top form.
As a product of the meticulous tactical work of Hasenhuttl, the academy graduate has become a perfect fit for the system at Southampton. He is aggressive, plays the ball forward at any given chance and makes intelligent, measured decisions.
However, he has failed to truly influence proceedings this term and has been deployed both as a central midfielder and in the less comfortable role of right wing-back.
Only on Saturday, Hasenhuttl decided against using Yan Valery to compensate for the last-minute injury that Cedric Soares sustained, instead drafting Jannik Vestergaard into a back five and moving Ward-Prowse to a wide position.
The 25-year-old struggled to cope with Tottenham Hotspur winger Heung-min Son and saw his attacking capabilities restricted.
Ward-Prowse’s best games this season have come when he is operating in the central channels and the right half-spaces, linking up with the full-back and creating combinations with Saints’ forward players.
It is no coincidence that the two games in which he has been most involved have come with him operating as a right-sided midfield player in a 4-3-3 setup.
Ward-Prowse spurned a number of good opportunities to score despite his goal from the spot against Bournemouth, but it was encouraging to see him find space on the edge of the box and in dangerous areas after Hasenhuttl had altered his formation.
The midfielder was similarly influential against Portsmouth just days later, as he managed to press his opposing players into tight spaces and distribute the ball quickly and effectively.
Ward-Prowse positions himself well when he is tasked with moving between the lines and into halfspaces, as his potentially devastating crossing ability is not wholly restricted by his starting role in the middle.
When he is deployed out wide – particularly as a wing-back – his impact is more often than not limited, though, and striking a balance between maximising his qualities and masking his defensive weaknesses is often difficult.
In deploying a 4-3-3, however, Hasenhuttl may have the perfect formula to help Ward-Prowse thrive, and this will be necessary if Saints are to find goals from midfield this season.
