Looking at which players make up the ideal Southampton defence

With Southampton’s start to the 2015-16 season hampered by instances of poor defending, who does Ronald Koeman turn to in order to solidify the back line and stay in top six contention?

Assuming the manager has his side lining up in his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, these have been the players who, based on their showings in the first month, would make up the best Saints back four.

Goalkeeper – Fraser Forster

A loanee from Championship side Fulham, Maarten Stekelenburg has been solid in between the posts so far, but Forster demonstrated some incredible form before his injury in March. Good coming off his line, in the one-on-one battles and showing great reaction speed, the Saints’ custodian complimented the tight defence perfectly.

While it seems the Englishman still a while away from making his return, Stekelenburg is the best to fill-in, but fans will be hoping for Forster to bring back his outstanding form when he does make his return.

Left-back – Ryan Bertrand

Another player who has been absent from the side due to injury is also another that the Saints have sorely missed. Though youngster Matt Targett has not been a poor replacement by any stretch, Bertrand was the left-hand-side of one of the strongest fullback combinations of last season. The value that the former Chelsea man offers defensively is doubled to the side by what he can also bring in an attacking sense, an aspect that 19-year-old Targett has yet to add to his game.

Centre-back – Virgil van Dijk

Yet to make an appearance for the club, van Dijk still seems as though he would be in the strongest starting XI. Joining for a fee rumoured to be around £11.5 million near the end of the transfer window, the Dutchman is tall, physical and has a welcome talent of scoring more goals than your average defender. With Maya Yoshida struggling to find his form in 2015-16 and Steven Caulker not having impressed enough to stake a claim, van Dijk seems a perfect fit.

Centre-back – José Fonte

The man at the heart of one of the tightest defences in the Premier League last season and led through superb example, has seemed to be performing well below his own lofty standards of late. Despite a poor start though, Fonte is getting more comfortable with each match and flashes of his last season form are coming more frequenty. It seems as though the Portuguese is well on track to being an impassable defensive rock again and the club captain definitely fits into an ideal XI.

Right-back – Cédric Soares

In the Southampton first month review Cédric was identified as the key player in the team’s opening four games due to his attacking creativity and superb delivery. In a side that has lacked purpose and flair in midfield, the Portuguese fullback has offered the attacking outlet that has seemed the most profitable in opening up opposition defences.

With Targett not offering much moving forward from the left and a game plan that relies a lot on crossing, the burden has been shouldered by offseason addition Cédric, who has demonstrated a true hunger to help his side go forward. Of course defensive responsibilities feature in the equation too and the import has handled them adequately, though perhaps not as noticeably as his partners.

Defensive-midfield – Victor Wanyama

A rumoured deal that would have seen Wanyama join Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur seemed to unsettle the Kenyan and his performances suffered, particularly after a transfer request, ultimately being left out of the squad for the match against Norwich City (though the club claimed this was due to stomach infection). When focused to his task, the screener provides firm tackling and interceptions that break up the play in front of his back four and keep the lines between defence and midfield tight.

Defensive-midfield – Oriol Romeu

Another recent addition to the squad after signing from Chelsea, after spening the majority of recent years on loan at VfB Stuttgart and Valencia CF, for a nominal fee the 23-year-old Spaniard has come straight into the Saints’ starting lineup. Though offering a measure of good on ball play going forward Romeu is far more useful to the side due to his defensive contributions.

Reading the play with an expert eye and seeming so often to be the one breaking up a dangerous looking counter, the former Barcelona player seems to earn a place in an ideal XI even so early on in his Southampton career.

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While some of these six players (not including the goalkeeper) may not be first choice in an attacking sense, they would definitely seem the ideal XI in terms of defensive play. That said, Koeman does not favour an overly defensive approach, despite having the side that conceded the second least goals in the Premier League for 2014-15. Perhaps focusing on the defence is what this Saints side needs, at least until the players’ confidence is regained.