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| Southampton at their Best. |
When Ronald Koeman took charge of the well-established
Southampton F.C., he could not have asked for a more unfavourable situation
that he had to face. With some of the star names leaving the Saints to join the
top clubs of the Premier League, it was evidently heading towards a difficult
task of not just staying in the mid-table but also of staying in the top tier
of English football. Even though Southampton had managed to keep hold of their
key midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, the absence of Adam Lallana, Rick Lambert,
Dejan Lovren, Luke Shaw and Callum Chambers had left gaping holes in every
department. Even with a lot of funds collected with the sale of their
astronomical players, developing a winning formula again would have prove to be
extremely challenging, or at least that’s what everyone thought.
The
sheer force and optimism with which the Saints have tackled teams in the season
so far, goes far beyond words. Southampton believed in their own academy which
formed a pillar of excellence over several years giving almost the entire
Southampton squad along with a few players in the top clubs. The Saints went in
and invested enough to bring work ethic into the team along with creativity and
goals. The signing of Shane Long is one such example. A relatively unknown
figure up until this season to the English fans, Graziano Pelle applied his
trade with numerous clubs in the Italian Serie A before joining the Saints. No
one knew that this could be one of the dream moves of the season. With the
departure of three established first team defenders, Koeman believed in the
current crop and went ahead investing only for Florin Gados with Ryan Bertrand
and Toby Alderweireld signing on loan. The midfield was added to with Dusan
Tadic, a Serbian international, and Sadio Mane for a total of £20.9 million.
Koeman also brought in an amazing shot stopper in Fraser Forster from Celtic
for approximately £10 million.
Unlike
Liverpool, what Southampton did well is sign a sufficient number of players but
also keep the core of the Saints in tact with those few additions. Looking at
the tables, I am sure Koeman would have a few tingles about his spine, every
now and then. With 14 games played already in this season, the Saints have established
themselves at the third positon, above all the top clubs like Arsenal,
Liverpool, the Manchester Clubs and even Everton and Tottenham.
When we
analyse the entire season so far, we can see that the progress of the Saints
has been a direct effect of the faltering defences of the biggest clubs in the
world. Except for Chelsea, who are flying high at the top of the table, none of
the big money teams have looked even half as composed during a full duration of
a match. Southampton, on the other hand, have made full use of this opportunity
to tear defences apart with sleek passing and classic creativity. Koeman has
adapted to an attacking style of football that Southampton has always been
known for. The style and football and goals to go with them have really shown
the world that the Saints deserve their postion in the table.
Pelle have finally come into the limelight that his talent
deserved. For the Saints, he has already scored 9 goals in a mere 14
appearances. He is definitely one of the candidates for signing of the season.
After losing to Liverpool on the first day of the season, they have not looked
back, with consistent displays from Jay Rodriguez, Jack Cork, Schneirderlin in
midfield to go with the goal-scoring of Pelle. The defence has been an idol of
excellence, something which the bigger clubs are dying for. The likes of
Nathaneil Clyne, Jose Fonte, Gardos and Bertrand have managed a total of 7
clean sheets and only conceded an ordinary 8 goals during the 14 games.
These are statistics with which any manager would be proud
of, especially someone who a few months ago would have been uncertain about
their position even in the top half of the table. Koeman has brought in a lot
of optimism into the clubs and fans, who have been attending in huge numbers to
support their homemade club. With so
many players graduating from the Saints’ Academy, they have altered the
philosophy of modern day football where money is compared with the clubs’
position in the table.
Koeman and Southampton have proved that the traditional
system of scouting young talent from the grassroots of football is as important
as buying the readymade talent that you find in every newspaper. Money can buy
you everything, but the traditional spirit does overcome it every once in a
while leading up to a sumptuous display of quality football. The hope would be
that the Saints keep their flag waving until the wind is strong and give the
world a treat to watch every time they the pitch.
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