Michael Obafemi’s professionalism has often been called into question, but his mature displays on the pitch in recent weeks should provide Ralph Hasenhuttl with some food for thought.
The 19-year-old has found the back of the net just twice this season. Firstly, he tapped home in a 1-0 win away at Fulham in the Carabao Cup. More recently, he scored a sublime individual effort as Southampton beat Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Hasenhuttl has largely preferred a partnership of Danny Ings and Shane Long of late. However, with the latter of the two in the final year of his contract and approaching the twilight of his career, the Austrian may be wise to look towards the future.
Che Adams remains a Southampton player despite Leeds United’s unrelenting pursuit of his signature this month. Having joined for £15 million last summer, Saints would surely be reluctant to cut their losses and hastily give up on a player whom they chased so vigorously after just a year.
Typically a striker who bursts into life after gaining a campaign’s worth of experience in new environments – he has scored only eight goals in 89 games during maiden seasons at new levels so far in his career – Adams does still have the makings of a capable Premier League forward.
However, there have been few discernible signs of encouragement when he has accompanied Ings in a front two. The top goalscorer’s strike at Leicester City, orchestrated by excellent work in the middle of the pitch from Adams, proved to be a welcome but undeniably rare sighting of the pair functioning effectively alongside each other.
There have been instances this term whereby Ings and Adams have found themselves occupying the same spaces, ergo failing to provide the team with enough flexibility and passing angles in the final third, resulting in previously promising breakaways falling flat.
This period of adjustment is normal for any player making the leap from the Championship to the Premier League. However, it has been apparent that the partnership of Long and Ings has borne fruit in recent weeks, with nine points out of a possible 18 coming when the two have started.
Hasenhuttl has found a working, winning formula. Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek form a decent pairing in central defence; James Ward-Prowse and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have clicked in midfield; Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong offer creativity and diverse attacking qualities out wide.
The combination of Long and Ings works, too. The 33-year-old’s selfless running opens up space for the top goalscorer to provide Saints with a finishing touch. It is a relationship typical of Hasenhuttl’s favoured attacking approach; there is a strong blend of intelligence, dynamism and work ethic.
However, Saturday afternoon’s 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur has offered a glimpse of what could be to come. With Long nursing a swollen knee, Hasenhuttl handed Obafemi his second start in a week following his inclusion at Crystal Palace last Tuesday, as Ings made his way back into the starting line-up.
That the manager plumped for his 19-year-old forward ahead of Adams, who was fresh having only appeared as a substitute in the 2-0 win at Selhurst Park just days before, could be indicative of the pecking order by which he regards Southampton’s forwards. Starting Obafemi twice in quick succession given his history of fitness issues, too, seemed somewhat risky.
It was one that paid dividends, however, despite the equalising goal coming from substitute Sofiane Boufal. Ings and Obafemi operated well together, with clever runs and good decisions complementing each other in the final third.
Southampton came up against high-level defenders – Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld – on Saturday, yet they were able to carve out numerous presentable opportunities at St Mary’s, most of which were spurned by Ings in an uncharacteristic showing of profligacy from the star man.
Twice, Obafemi flashed the ball across the face of goal towards the 27-year-old, whose finishing touch eluded him on these occasions. The young forward did not make penetrative runs but instead drifted into wide areas on the right, most notably exemplified by him dragging Sanchez out of position to manufacture a golden chance for Ings in the second half.
Obafemi was also instrumental in Southampton’s build-up play, often dropping deep to collect possession and move the ball across the pitch. This provided Saints with more attacking fluency with the ball, but arguably less speed than what is common with Long on the pitch.
The forward displayed the similarly clever running that his veteran teammate regularly shows, aiding the level of service Ings was able to receive. Still, his final ball was generally impressive, and it has been when he has been handed chances to shine.
Obafemi has worked well as the creative forward of the strike partnership in recent outings and even presented his qualities alongside Long in the win at Crystal Palace.
He drifted into halfspaces searching for the ball and was comfortable in tight areas, helping Saints create overloads in wide areas. The 19-year-old used the ball effectively and even set Long away for a one-on-one against Vicente Guaita in the second half. He picked the ball up in the final third before undoing Palace’s back-line with a deft pass through to the 33-year-old, whose effort was disappointingly tame.
Obafemi’s work in the build-up phase has not been a revelation only in the past couple of games, either. The potential of a blossoming partnership alongside Ings has been prevalent in fleeting moments already this season.
The Saints top scorer stole the headlines in the 4-0 win against Portsmouth in September, but Obafemi’s shrewd vision and selection of pass hugely contributed despite an otherwise quiet display. With Ings running beyond the Pompey defence, the Republic of Ireland international drifted a sumptuous through ball to split the opposition back-line and provide the 27-year-old with his second of the evening at Fratton Park.
When Hasenhuttl deployed him alongside Ings in the 2-2 draw at Arsenal later on in the campaign, he displayed similar understanding and knowledge of space. While not directly involved in the goal, it was Obafemi’s clever pass through to Ings that provoked Kieran Tierney’s foul in the box, which afforded James Ward-Prowse the chance to net from close range after missing an initial penalty.
Throughout his time in the youth ranks, Obafemi was generally associated with scruffy, simple goals, credited to his direct running and athleticism. However, there is so much more to the exciting forward than just pace and power, despite Hasenhuttl once likening him to a Formula 1 race car.
He has a very special body. He is unbelievably quick, and that means he is like a Formula 1 racing car; he needs the best fuel, the best service, and from everybody, he needs the best, and then he can help you.
If we don’t treat him like that, it’s more in the garage than on the track. And I like him on the track because then he can help us.
Obafemi has the potential to become an exceptional second striker, one who may not always grab the headlines, but a player whose value to the team will seldom come into question.
Managing his minutes and long-standing muscle-related injuries will be crucial going forward, and there is still a long way to go in his development. As is the case with most young players, his decision-making is often frustrating, and adapting to the Premier League’s demands on a weekly basis remains arguably the hardest obstacle ahead of the striker.
Nevertheless, the early signs are promising, and a partnership comprising Obafemi and Ings could offer Southampton an exciting prospect for both the here and now as well as the years to come.
