Our series of Premier League team previews continues with a look at Ronald Koeman’s Saints.
Summer transfer window
The two major transfers away from St. Mary’s this summer were two of the best performers in last year’s team: right-back Nathaniel Clyne and holding-midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin. Clyne, now with Liverpool, was a key figure in the Saints defence last season and was one of the better attacking full-backs in the league. Schneiderlin, who left to join the red half of Manchester, controlled the midfield and was arguably the most important player in the Southampton lineup both defensively and going forward.
Southampton brought in six players, the most significant of which was Feyenoord captain Jordy Clasie. He will be expected to fill the void in midfield left by Schneiderlin. Cédric Soares looks set to replace Clyne, though fellow arrival Cuco Martina can also fill the role. Spanish forward Juanmi is the last of the permanent transfers. Loaned in for the season were Maarten Stekelenburg from Fulham and Steven Caulker from Queens Park Rangers, who will look to fill the whole left by Toby Alderweireld.
Last season
A seventh place finish in the league was higher than even the more optimistic of Saints fans would have predicted for the side. New coach, decimated, then largely rebuilt, players who were largely untested to the level at which they had been brought in to perform, injuries to key players and so on.
What supporters were treated to was a season that saw their side qualify for the Europa League and sit around the upper echelon of English football for the majority of the campaign. A few memorable victories and some terrific performances, including maintaining the best defensive record in the Premier League until the latter stages, overtaken only by Chelsea, were the highlights of the season.
Manager
Koeman was a surprising choice to many when he was unveiled as the new Southampton manager in June of last year. A Barcelona superstar in his playing days, Koeman had a reasonably successful coaching record but lasted less than a year in the two coaching roles that he held outside of the Netherlands, being at Benfica and Valencia in Spain (Koeman left Benfica but was fired by Valencia).
Inheriting a squad that had a large portion of its talent cherry picked by other clubs, many saw a rebuilding as the Dutch manager’s duty with the club. However Koeman recruited smartly and got more out of some players than many thought possible, ultimately sticking largely to the system left to him by previous managers. He surpassed all expectations.
Two Manager of the Month awards last year on top of the team’s performance mean Koeman has significantly larger expectations on his shoulders this season. The ins and outs from the club happened all under his supervision and he has been with the squad for over a year now.
Strengths
Again, Southampton go into the campaign with no big-name signings but smart buys that will not break the bank and are, for the most part, under no ridiculous pressure to perform. The transfers that made headlines for the Saints were all heading away from the club and in all the hustle and bustle Koeman quietly added some depth to his squad for the Europa League adventure.
Talented young players continue to push through the academy with more on the horizon all moulded into the Saints footballing style. One of the stars of their 2013-14 campaign in Jay Rodriguez is back from a lengthy injury lay-off and will only strengthen their forward line.
Weaknesses
The spotlight is on the South Coast side this time around with expectations significantly higher than it faced in the 2014-15 season. Koeman has now had ample time with the club, the losses from the side were not as great and the Dutch manager has almost his entire playing group fit and ready.
The Saints will have to add more dimensions to their attack with less reliance on the individual brilliance of some of the wide players to avoid becoming predictable. The forward line must also be able to offset the losses of Alderweireld and Schneiderlin. The rotation policy that European football requires means more goals will likely be conceded.
Key Player
There will be nowhere to hide this year for the incoming Dutchman Clasie with high expectations of Saints fans resting largely upon his shoulders. No stranger to the big stage, the midfielder represented his country at last year’s World Cup and should be able to handle the pressure. The question is this:will the 24-year-old provide the quality left behind by Schneiderlin?
A very different player to the new Man United man, he will be the centre of Southampton’s distribution and the lynchpin linking together the defence and midfield. Not having many others who are suitable to fill the role, Koeman will be largely relying on the performance of the new defensive midfielder.
Best XI
(4-2-3-1): Forster (GK) [once fully fit]; Bertrand, Caulker, Fonte, Soares; Clasie, Wanyama; Rodriguez, Ward-Prowse, Mané; Pellè.
Prediction
As we see all too often with Premier League sides who compete in the Europa League, the balance between European and domestic competitions is a very difficult juggling act that Koeman has yet to face in his career. Mastering the rotation and team combinations to maximise performance in these two competitions will be key to the outcome of the season.
Despite the added depth in the squad, Southampton still does not appear to have a selection of players capable of simultaneous successful appearances in both the Europa League and the Premier League. Koeman has largely gambled on some promising talent that have not yet proven themselves in the English game.
Ultimately smart managing and good performances from key players should see Southampton fare reasonably well in the league, though maintaining their position and challenging for a second consecutive European season may be beyond them. Finishing upper mid table securely inside the top 10 would be a fair result.
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