Southampton Have Proved That They’re The Real Deal
Avid Premier League watchers might have dismissed Southampton’s top-four surge as a merely good form, especially having seen recent similar surges fade away as the season progressed – examples of this may include Newcastle and to some extent Hull City before them. However, this season, it seems as if Southampton are here to stay.
When Nigel Adkins was sacked as Southampton manager, almost everyone was baffled as to why Nicola Cortese had taken that decision and even more eyebrows were raised when he subsequently hired Mauricio Pochettino However, almost a season and a half later, Cortese seems to be have been vindicated by the excellent performances of the Saints.
Pochettino actually inherited a good squad, and he gradually started adding elements that would improve the squad such as Pablo Osvaldo, Victor Wanyama, and Dejan Lovren as well as giving Luke Shaw the chance to oust Danny Fox, which he has done very well indeed. Pochettino’s changes have actually turned Southampton into a solid side which plays some tantalizing football.
With Artur Boruc in goal, Nathaniel Clyle, Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren, and Jose Fonte/Jus Hooiveld in defence, Southampton have a sturdy defence which, along with the midfield partnership of Victor Wanyama and Morgan Schneiderlin help keep the Saints backline very secure and leads to a huge number of clean sheets. In the attacking areas, Adam Lallana and the talented James Ward-Prowse complementing the likes of Rickie Lambert and Pablo Osvaldo, Southampton have an almost constant stream of various goals in them.
While most people have a right to be skeptical over the quality and constancy of Southampton, the fact that we are entering the month of December and they currently stand in 5th place, above the likes of Spurs and Manchester United, only reinforces the idea that they may actually challenge this season.
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