Ronald Koeman’s fierce Southampton side have had one smashing season for sure; not only did they finish seventh in the Premier League table standings, but Arsenal’s FA Cup Final victory over Aston Villa has secured them a place in the Europa League. For the first time in 12 seasons, Saints have been awarded such a lucrative opportunity; the chance to continue making a big name for themselves, and certainly to carve out a marvellous future.
Arsenal’s place in the Champion’s League was earned after finishing third in the division, which meant that hoisting the FA Cup would boost Saints into a qualified position for Europa. The last time the squad had been privy to the competition was back in 2003/04, so this feat is rather monumental. Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and West Ham will also be among those in the Europa League with Koeman and his boys.
Ronald Koeman has been graced with some outstanding talent to manage, in the form of the striding, striking Italian, Graziano Pellè, feisty and tenacious Senegalese youngster, Sadio Mané, the diligent Serbian, Dušan Tadić, and all the might of the backline, including the ever-dependable Ryan Bertrand, and chief defender of the net, Fraser Forster. Younger calibre from James Ward-Prowse and Matt Targett has also been on show in spades the season just gone. The team has not only been structurally reliable, but very enjoyable to watch.
Following the January transfer window closure, things seemed to be a tad unsettled at St. Mary’s; for a time, the winning streak Southampton seemed to so comfortably gain rather dwindled. Had they maintained their more courageous and challenging form, they might have grasped hold of a higher place on the table. I still have a screenshot on my phone of when Saints had seized second place after five games played; it was remarkable stuff. Although this may seem greedy, I can’t help but wonder how well Saints could have finished had they not dipped; it was the fortune of other teams who had not fared so well at the end of 2014 that superseded Southampton, and started to snatch the better places. Rightly so, though. A place in the Champions League could have been somewhat unbelievable, but I think that the Europa League will suit them nicely.
Despite this news of Europa being rather exciting, some do query whether the team will be ready for another level of physical exertion. The richer, more well-known sides performing in the Champions or Europa Leagues alongside the Premier League almost every season will be used to the extra commitment and training, whereas, this might be more of shock to the system for a team like Saints. However, I think this will be one of the considerations at the forefront of Koeman and staff’s minds when preparing the players, so this should not become an issue. Furthermore, they will adapt; the team has worked extraordinarily hard to find themselves where they are currently, and will not be forgetting that in a hurry. They aren’t just meeting expectations, they are crushing them; Saints will be ready.
BBC Sport notes that 30th July will be Southampton’s first game of the new season, with all of the delightful Premier League action commencing just over a week later. Onwards to Europe.
