Southampton FC: The Biggest Winners in the Premier League Season

By Dushyant Sinha
10 years Ago

Three months are overAi??in the PremierAi??League, and it’s time for a short evaluation of the biggest winners in England’s top flight. Our award goes to Southampton.

Not just on the back of the mightily impressive 8-0 hammering of an embarrassingly poor Sunderland, RonaldAi??KoemanAi??and his Southampton team have impressed us enough to conferAi??the title of the biggest winners of the PremierAi??League thus far onto them.Ai??At the end of the three month period requested by Louis vanAi??GaalAi??of the ManchesterAi??United supporters to judge his efforts, it is anotherAi??Dutch maestro who took overAi??a new club in England and has orchestrated their climb to dizzying heights of the table.

September’s PremierAi??League ManagerAi??of the Month did not have the best credentials when the Southampton board were looking for a replacement for departing managerAi??MauricioAi??Pochettino.Ai??HavingAi??enjoyed a successful playing careerAi??most notably with Barcelona,Ai??KoemanAi??managed Ajax, PSV,Ai??Benfica, AZ Alkmaar and Valencia,Ai??getting fairly average results. It was his time atAi??Feyenoord, however, from 2011-2014, that the furrowed brows of the Southampton board would have analyzed before making his decision.Ai??Koeman’sAi??attacking philosophy atAi??FeyenoordAi??persuaded the board to give the Dutchman his chance and if the first three months are any indication,Ai??KoemanAi??has repaid their faith.

The summerAi??of 2014 did not just see a managerial change at Southampton. An exodus of the best talent in the team to biggerAi??clubs had threatened to derail the progress Southampton had made in their PremierAi??League stint since 2012. Big clubs like Liverpool, ManchesterAi??United and Arsenal came calling for their players and the Southampton board found an opportunity to build the club. Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana,Ai??DejanAi??LovrenAi??andAi??CalumAi??Chambers were sold for a combined 88 million pounds and few could blame the financial prudence of the decision. The four togetherAi??had cost the Saints 8.5 million pounds – a profit percentage of 935.29%.

But the club could not just run on sales. AfterAi??Rickie Lambert departed, there was talk of MorganAi??SchneiderlinAi??following suit. Interest fromAi??TottenhamAi??was firmed up asAi??PochettinoAi??wanted to bring his formerAi??midfieldAi??enforcerAi??to North London. However, the board put a stop on the deal andAi??SchneiderlinAi??remains the only key playerAi??from last season to remain a Saint. And a happy Saint at that. As on 20th October, the Liverpool trio of Lambert, Lallana andAi??LovrenAi??find their ex-teammateAi??SchneiderlinAi??looking down at them in the PremierAi??League table. Southampton are now in the Champions League spots, just behind JoseAi??Mourinho’sAi??Chelsea and defending champions ManchesterAi??City.

Against the backdrop of the Saints fans singing and chantingAi??Schneiderlin’sAi??name for having stayed a SaintAi??in their first home game against West Bromwich Albion, a ponderousAi??KoemanAi??wasAi??contemplating his final moves in theAi??summerAi??transferAi??window. Having earned 92 million pounds in the summerAi??through transfers,Ai??KoemanAi??would have been forgiven for chasing big players, waving fatAi??chequesAi??at them. However, the Dutchman set about getting just the right players for his needs.

A tricky playmaker was first to arrive.Ai??DusanAi??Tadic, the Serbian who pulled the stringsAi??for FCAi??TwenteAi??in the DutchAi??EredivisieAi??played againstAi??Koeman’sAi??FeyenoordAi??side for two seasons.Ai??Tadic’sAi??eye for a pass must have caughtAi??Koeman’sAi??fancy and a little under 11 million pounds were spent on the Serbian. Perhaps as a direct replacement for Adam Lallana,Ai??TadicAi??could play behind the striker in a number 10 role as well as on the wings.

The man who was supposed to be the target forAi??Tadic’sAi??passes was the Italian giantAi??GrazianoAi??Pelle, who at 6 foot 4 is the complete opposite of his legendary namesake, was Rickie Lambert’s replacement up front.Ai??KoemanAi??managedAi??PelleAi??atAi??Feyenoord, where the Italian played aAi??devestatingAi??2013-14 season, hammering 23 goals in 28 games. His games to goals ratio, although mostly inAi??theAi??Eredivisie, is comparable to Messi, Ronaldo,Ai??IbrahimovicAi??and Suarez.Ai??Relatively unknown in England,Ai??PelleAi??has become a household name, at least on the south coast of England, scoring 6 goals in 8 games for Southampton thus far. At 8 million pounds,Ai??PelleAi??is a definite bargain.

Southampton new-boy Pelle is in illustrious company.

FraserAi??ForsterAi??arrived next from Celtic, a keeperAi??with a decentAi??reputation in Scotland, and third choice for the England national team. Ex-Celtic managerAi??Neil Lennon rates ForsterAi??a top class keeper, and the Englishman has replacedAi??ArturAi??BorucAi??in Southampton’s goal, like he did a few seasons ago at Celtic. Forster’s form has been terrific and the Saints have conceded just 5 goalsAi??in the PremierAi??League this season, the least numberAi??of goals conceded this season. ForsterAi??has arrived at St. Mary’s for 10 million pounds.

OtherAi??replacements byAi??KoemanAi??includeAi??SadioAi??Mane fromAi??Red Bull Salzburg for underAi??12 million. Mane is a tricky wingerAi??with pace and balance, Shane Long from Hull City for 12 million pounds and FlorinAi??GardosAi??fromAi??SteauaAi??Bucharest for 4 million. However, the man to replaceAi??Lovren’sAi??massive presence inAi??defenceAi??has been theAi??BelgianAi??defenderAi??TobyAi??Alderweireld.Ai??Signed on loan from Atletico Madrid,Ai??AlderweireldAi??has been a big part of the stingiestAi??defenceAi??in the PremierAi??League. AnotherAi??loaneeAi??impressignAi??inAi??defenceAi??is Ryan Bertrand, who has not made Luke Shaw’s absence felt.

AlthoughAi??KoemanAi??has impressively replaced players worth 92 million pounds with players who cost a collective 57 million, there is more to what the Dutchman has brought to the table. There is an improved efficiency in Southampton’s play that has seen them climb to third in the league. There is more clinical accuracy at St. Mary’s than underAi??Pochettino. The players are not afraid to shoot from range. A far greaterAi??variety of goals has been added underAi??Koeman’sAi??regime.Ai??SchneiderlinAi??has scored a couple of long rangers already this season.

Also of note is the attacking build up play. Midfielders join up more frequently in the attack, and at times late enough to disguise their runs and fool opposing defenders. Jack Cork’s goal against Sunderland was a superb example of howAi??TadicAi??waited patiently before finding Cork’s late run into the box. Cork has already scored 2 for Southampton this season, where he hadn’t scored a single goal in four previous seasons.Ai??SchneiderlinAi??has joined up in attack more often to partner Davies in his number 10 role this season, often leaving the defensive double pivot just forAi??WanyamaAi??to fill.

TadicAi??has to be given credit for he is the one looking for the movement from his team-mates.Ai??In the build-up to Cork’s goal against Sunderland,Ai??TadicAi??hasAi??PelleAi??calling for the ball to be played to him, but the Serb, waits, anticipating Cork’s run into the box, shimmies the defender, buys time, and then out of the corner of the eye, spots Cork’s run at just the right time and crosses the ball to the midfielder, who is not picked up by the Sunderland defenders. These are the kind of well-worked goals thatAi??KoemanAi??would be proud of.

Tadic spots Jack Cork’s late run into the box.

Another bright spot isAi??Pelle’sAi??hold up play up front which paved the way for Cork’s goal. The partnership betweenAi??TadicAi??andAi??PelleAi??also has been exemplary.Ai??TadicAi??looks forAi??Pelle’sAi??runs and orchestrates the play on field. The Southampton new boys have gelled very well and the new signings have taken to life in the Premier League like ducks to water. It is now forAi??KoemanAi??to maintain this run and who knows how many Southampton would surprise if they finish in one of the Champions League spots this season. We leave you with the highlights of their 8-0 mauling of Sunderland.

Categories: COVER STORY, English Premier League, Features, Multi Media
Tags: Koeman Premier league Southampton

Three months are overAi??in the PremierAi??League, and it’s time for a short evaluation of the biggest winners in England’s top flight. Our award goes to Southampton.

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