Former Arsenal playmaker Freddie Ljungberg has insisted that he has been impressed with the way Southampton have been performing so far this season and believes they have become “the real deal”.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men are riding high in the Premier League and only three teams in the division have a better away record following Monday night’s 2-1 win at Brighton.
That win took them back into the top five in the Premier League and leaves them just four points of leaders Tottenham Hotspur. That suggests they could well be among the contenders to finish amongst the European places come the end of the season.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, via Hampshire Live, Ljungberg suggested that he has no qualms over the Saints’ abilities to maintain their form. He also believes they have become a side worthy of their place at the higher end of the Premier League table due to their continued run of consistent performances.
The two-time Premier League winner gushed:
I think they have proved to a lot of people that they are the real deal.
They go for people all the time and they make it difficult to get out of there and they have some good players up front who create things, we saw Ings return and it will very important, probably, to get him back to help get those goals.
But I think they’re the real deal. They’re difficult to play against. We will see if all the energy they put into the game will hurt them later in the season, if they get tired, but for now they look very good.
Read Southampton verdict
It has been a very unusual start to the campaign for a number of Premier League clubs, but Southampton have taken all of the off-field situations in their stride and established themselves impressively among the best-performing teams in the division capable of winning matches regularly even when not at their best.
Hasenhuttl has done a magnificent job in reviving the club’s fortunes this year and, barring an injury crisis, there is every chance the Austrian could get them into the European places this term. The Saints have become a very tough side to overcome for opponents and they no longer feel beaten even when they fall behind in games.
As Ljungberg suggests, there is still a long way to go in the season, but Hasenhuttl’s side could have the quality in their squad and confidence to challenge for a top six finish this year. That they even have a plausible chance of finishing in the European places is a testament to the improvements made at St Mary’s over the last 14 months.
