Climbing the league, one team at a time, Ronald Koeman’s Southampton appear to have concocted the sort of potion desired by all bosses in football. At Swansea’s very own Liberty Stadium, Manager of the Month Garry Monk witnessed a beating of tiny margins, with the Saints whipping yet another side into a state of frenzy. Criticism of the general playmaking aside, Saints emerged as the better team, though only with a tight 1-0 for the scoreboard. This victorious ethos within the Southern club has certainly been the remedy for the painful departure of Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, and co, and one that indeed looks willing to stay.
Without further ado, I must mention that a mere dream during the first few weeks of Premier League action has somehow stumbled upon premonition territory; my at-the-time unfounded subconscious thoughts that Saints would reap second place, and therefore have undergone a miraculous transformation from when I was last in a cold, plastic red seat at St. Mary’s seem to have leaked into reality. Saints are, in fact, currently warming second place in the table (which is now more than can be said for my Fantasy side; ironically, it was probably their lack of goals that has dropped me way down to fourth).
Southampton Reach Second Place
In front of Koeman and Monk, there were a host of sloppy tackles. The abundance of such clumsy errors led to quite a stream of yellow cards, including those out of Saints’ favour, against Maya Yoshida, José Fonte, and etcetera. But it was Swansea’s Wilfried Bony who was most heavily penalised, earning one of those shiny red cards from Jonathan Moss’ pocket in the 39th minute. Arguments about whether this put Saints at an advantage will no doubt continue, but ten men or eleven, I’ve always been one of those believers that a stronger, more compact team will (or should) rise from the ashes of a sending off.
Swansea’s ten men fiasco should have made them more aware of their surroundings and, therefore, they should have played in a more watertight formation; if Saints cashed in on their misfortune, they didn’t regroup as effectively as they should have. Sure, a little bias might creep in here, but tactically, Monk might not have forged the kind of new strategy required.
Bony’s two untidy fouls would have alerted Saints to Swansea’s newfound vulnerability, so Koeman’s decision to bring off James Ward-Prowse in return for Victor Wanyama was the dividend-paying choice of the match. As the 80th minute chimed, an absolute belter from twelve yards saw Saints cruise through to their third triumph in a row. Swansea might have had more opportunities and conveyed a better side on paper, but their home game setting didn’t arouse enough sparks to see them through.
As excitement goes, I think I was anticipating rather more from this fixture; Graziano Pellè failed to glisten in the fashion that he had done so in spades for the past few weeks, whilst Morgan Schneiderlin’s crafty focus on the opposing goal might have been in the changing room with a pile of fresh towels.
Despite a somewhat tame Saints, their recovery from initial Premiership bid against Liverpool has been overwhelming. Their structure is clean, composed, and one of winning ability; the Swansea game was just another exploitation of such. Koeman is clearly relishing his responsibilities and eking out every last ounce of positivity and talent his boys offer.
The new coach is undeniably having a delightful season so far, and what a start it has been; I thought fourth place was enough to brag about, but no. Second place is such a major achievement, and should not go unrecognised. Whether you consider yourself ambivalent, a huge supporter, or somebody with a bitter negativity towards the side (in the style of Portsmouth), it has to be admitted that these chaps are doing marvellously. This is the first instance since their return in 2012 that Saints have pulled off three consecutive wins, which indicates that Ronald Koeman is such a great fit as manager; his tenacity and cheerful glow is exactly what we needed after such a promising campaign last season.
At the end of the fourth week, Saints were comfortably at fourth place, but now they’ve flown up to second, and it’s hardly been a tough clamber. Granted, their opening match was a sore loss against Liverpool (2-1), and then their attempts at West Brom were snuffed out (a meagre 0-0 overall). But then came West Ham and Sam Allardyce’s outbursts (3-1 to the red and white stripes); a whopper of a win against Newcastle (4-0); the more recent small ball in Swansea’s net (1-0).
All that remains now is hope for another gargantuan success against QPR.
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