Swansea are likely to find the going tough against Southampton, with Pochettino’s team keeping their tightest defence since 1984.
– By examining the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, it isn’t hard to spot how impressive Southampton’s defence was against Crystal Palace. ‘Keeper Artur Boruc didn’t have to make a save the whole match.
– Celtic’s former shotstopper will thank his central defenders for his lack of action on Saturday, as Jose Fonte made 10 clearances against his former club – the third most in the league.
– Daniel Lovren was also impressive on Saturday, making 5 interceptions – the second most in the league.
– Ricky Lambert’s partnership with Pablo Osvaldo looked like it might be starting to click on Saturday, but England new boy Lambert will have to ensure he ups his shooting accuracy. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that Southampton journeyman has taken 19 shots this season, but only scored twice. 888sport.com are backing Lambert to rediscover his goalscoring touch, by offering 7/2 for him to score the first goal of the match against Swansea.
– Despite a late rally from the Swans, Michael Laudrup’s men continued their indifferent start to the season with a 2-0 loss at home to Arsenal.
– Swansea are renowned for their attractive, passing game, and this was no different on Saturday. Both Jonathan de Guzman and Jose Canas were in the top 6 of players for passes completed in the opposition half, with de Guzman completing 44 and Canas 37.
– De Guzman’s statistics are particularly impressive, as he completed a pass in the opposition at an average of every 2.04 minutes. De Guzman is 23/2 with 888sport.com to score the final goal of the match on Sunday.
– Swansea’s defence hasn’t been at its best this season, with the Swans conceding the fourth most goals in the league, but defender Chico shouldn’t be blamed for this. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index demonstrates that the Spaniard has made 79 defensive contributions this season (judged on clearances, blocks, tackles and interceptions), which is more than any other Swansea player.