In recent weeks, it has been a somewhat gruelling affair for Southampton fans; witnessing Ronald Koeman’s men flit from one disaster to another, in the wake of their Europa League bids, has been troubling. The team had been so buoyant last season, feeding off the great morale of the entire squad, and bagging some rather extraordinary goals at critical points.
However, there was mild disruption following Christmas, as Morgan Schneiderlin became vocal about his designs upon a transfer to another team. Although he has moved to Manchester United now, rumours tied the French midfielder to Tottenham Hotspur, where former manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was in charge. Despite Schneiderlin’s clear hopes to leave, after his comfortable seven-year spell with Southampton, Koeman urged him to remain focused upon the red and white stripes, and consider his feelings again as the season ended. Indeed, he took notice.
Currently, Southampton face an all too similar issue; Victor Wanyama has been truly sluggish in the first few games of the campaign, and his bored demeanour has been unmasked, with his intention to look elsewhere becoming noticeable. Wanyama told Koeman he had no desire to participate in last week’s Norwich City fixture, so was benched accordingly. He too will have to silence his negativity.
This aside, Wanyama’s seat off the pitch actually correlated rather interestingly with Saints’ first win of the season. Ronald Koeman’s men seized 3-o against The Canaries, which could – and should – ignite that original fire within the squad once again.
In this week’s analysis of what exactly is happening within the Southampton outfit, I see fit to take a glance at three formidable heroes among the team: Sadio Mané, Dušan Tadić and Graziano Pellè.
Structurally Sound Southampton: The Key Three
Coinciding with Victor Wanyama’s position on the bench, what had been a generally lacklustre Southampton of late somehow morphed back into a flourishing, energetic, driven band of fellows. However, it wasn’t the entirety of the eleven on the field that stood out; The Daily Mail and other such news outlets wax lyrically about Tadić and Pellè especially. This grand duo was rather unstoppable for portions of last season, showcasing Southampton as truly a force to be reckoned with. It was almost no trouble at all for this pairing to quickly net a goal from a neatly whipped assist. This pattern did fizzle out as the season persisted, though, which is possibly why we have been without hope of a rekindling this campaign. However, the Italian was responsible for the first goal of the game, in the 46th minute, with the Serbian gladly filling in later on, with two additional goals within three hot minutes. Excellent.
What must also be noted is the activity of Sadio Mané. The Senegalese midfielder hampered Southampton’s chances (further) of giving Watford a hammering following a hastily acquired injury during the fixture. Fortunately, Mané was back in action against Norwich, and projected his usual tenacity in abundance.
Offering Pellè the assist was one thing, but Mané then went on literally to charge forth, stealing the ball, and attempting to smash another swift one into the back of John Ruddy’s net. This sort of dogged play is precisely why Mané is being relentlessly eagled-eyed by many a scout across the Premier League, with Manchester United especially aiming to poach another Saint.
Another sharp assist from Mané’s superb run up the right-hand side gave Tadić his first opportunity to shine, which must have shocked the Serbian into targeting Ruddy’s goal again, finding it successfully within minutes. Despite other top chances for Saints, there was no question that these three were carrying the other players during the match, offering each other’s services regularly.
So, after weeks of viewing poorly executed games, I can now safely say that Southampton seem to be returning to form. It is almost definite that the only way for the team to progress solidly, and inject a splash of magic into the structure, is to lead through the key three: Mané, Tadić and Pellè.
Saints must utilise Sadio Mané as much as possible during every game, because he will be more susceptible now to additional or recurring injury; the team must try to snatch three points in every situation. Furthermore, it also doesn’t seem to matter in the slightest whether Mané links with Tadić or Pellè, because it can result in a belter of a goal either way. Conviction is what carries that ball further, though, so each of these men must remember that notion during their playmaking. Mané and Tadić are both very skilled at finding space, whilst Mané supersedes with his rapidity and fluidity. Pellè should then be utilised as the final cog in the attacking wheel, given that he is flexible, determined and extremely capable of firing in a scorching ball.
With the Norwich City win borne in mind, Southampton just need to feed more of the same template into future fixtures.
