Southampton and coach, Ronald Koeman, have been in tip-top form for the first third of the Premier League. Currently, they sit second on the table just 4-points behind Chelsea and 4-points above third-place Manchester City, with a record of 8-1-2.
Just how exactly have Southampton, at team that finished last season 8th on the table and a record of 15-11-12, beeen so succesfull, so early? The answer is in managment and performance.
This summer’s transfer window saw many important players leave Southampton, but at a hefty price. They sold:
Luke Shaw to Manchester United for 27million Pounds
Adam Lallana to Liverpool for 25million Pounds
Dejan Lovren to Liverpool for 20million Pounds and,
Calum Chambers to Arsenal to 16Million Pounds
Total Income = 88million Pounds
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Altough these are big names in the Soccer world, they have struggled to make a big difference at their new clubs. Luke Shaw has been starting and playing well for Manchester United, but he alone cannot break the bad defensive spell that United have been put under. Lallana only has 1 goal to his name thus far. Lovren has been starting with Liverpool, but even alongside Martin Skrtel, they cannot stop the opposition from taking the lead as Liverpool are on a 3-game losing streak. Chambers, on the other hand, has been pretty good for Arsenal and at 19 makes good decisions and displays inspiring performances.
At the same time, Southampton brought in;
Dusan Tadic for 10.9million Pounds from FC Twente
Graziano Pelle for 8.8million Pounds from Feyenord
Fraser Forster for 10million from Celtic
Shane Long for 12million pounds from Hull City and,
Sadio Mane for 11.8 million from Red Bulls Salzburg
Toby Alderwield from Atletico Madrid Free Season Loan (optional 7million pound transfer fee)
Ryan Bertrand from Chelsea Free Season Long Loan (option to buy undisclosed fee)
Total Spent = 53.5million Pounds
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This spending and managerial decisions turned out to be exactly what Southampton needed. Graziano Pelle has 6 goals while Dusan Tadic has 6 assists. Shane long has 2 and Sadio Mane has 1. These are all forwards. Their Midfield has also played part in their sucess as Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama both have 3 goals to their names.
Their defense has been absolutely superb! Fraser Forster, England’s second choice keeper, has only conceeded 5 goals in the Premier League which is the lowest in the league, and they have scored the second highest amount of goals with 23, which leaves their Goal Difference at +18. This is thanks to the back four which consist of Nathaniel Clyne, Jose Miguel Fonte, Toby Alderwiereld and Ryan Bertrand.
Although they have done well to gather pionts thus far, they have dropped points to Liverpool in the season opener and to Tottenham. Their real test begins Sunday, Nov. 30 when they face Manchester City. This match will be important if they are to prove that they own their current position.
Then, they will have to face Arsenal and Manchester United in back to back weeks. Southampton will have to be mentally and phyisically prepared if they are to keep their position and stay in the top three or four before Christmas Day. They have already beaten, 2-1, and knocked out Arsenal of the Capital One Cup
Arsenal and Manchester United will square-off on Saturday, Nov.22 as they fight for 6th place.
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