Ronald Koeman must arrest Southampton’s post-international break malaise
Southampton have not won a Premier League match on the back of an international break since October 2014. That poor record continued as their eight-game unbeaten streak came to a halt in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Stoke. It is a trend which is threatening to undermine Koeman’s bid to lead the St Mary’s outfit into Europe for the second successive season. However it is not just the dropped points which will be of concern to Koeman. The team’s performances have been generally lethargic after the fortnight break. The way Stoke won this game without breaking a sweat was reminiscent of their limp goalless draw against West Brom as they were again very blunt in front of goal with just one shot on target. Without another international break until March , Koeman will quietly be beaming.
Spurs looking like the real deal
After Sunday’s impressive 4-1 win over London rivals West Ham, these are increasingly good times at White Hart Lane. After their rivals’ slip-ups, the win meant that Mauricio Pochettino’s men moved to fifth position, two points behind Arsenal in the last Champions League spot and a further two behind Leicester at the top. The ultra-intense pressing game brought to the club by Mauricio Pochettino is seemingly paying dividends now as the club is unbeaten in 12 games. Pochettino has one of the best centre-back pairings in the league in Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, a declaration backed up by the fact that Spurs have the joint second-best defence in the league. The likes of Deli Alli , Christian Eriksen, Eric Dier and Harry Kane were all also immense, tearing West Ham to shreds. With Chelsea to play next Sunday in a London Derby at home, it is a chance to consolidate. The wonder is whether Pochettino’s intense training regimes will backfire on Spurs as it did late in the season with his Southampton team.
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