It may seem a while ago to some but for a few years Southampton had all the makings of a side knocking on the door of European places in the Premier League. Mauricio Pochettino laid solid foundations for the Saints but after big clubs came calling for captain Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and Rickie Lambert before Pochettino himself departed for Tottenham Hotspur, a rebuild was needed. Up stepped the likes of Dušan Tadić, Virgil Van Dijk and Sadio Mané, who all made moves to St Mary’s but departed for pastures new at the sight of bigger opportunities.
History looks to be repeating itself and once more shrewd recruitment is required if boss Ralph Hasenhüttl is to keep the south coast side from sinking this season following an underwhelming 15th-place finish last term. With their main talisman Danny Ings joining Aston Villa and Ryan Bertrand leaving for Leicester City, the Saints appear to be in another transitional period, but time will not be on their side. Here is what they can do to avoid the plummet back to the Championship.
Replacing star players
The Jack Grealish saga has caused something of a transfer merry-go-round across the Premier League this summer, much to the pain of clubs lower down the pecking order. With Villa needing replacements and clubs knowing they have money burning a hole through their pockets, business has been frantic with even the most reliable betting exchange markets missing out on the sale of Danny Ings. The forward bagged 12 goals last season enjoying a renaissance since being frozen out at Liverpool with persistent long-term injuries. Southampton simply have to replace his goalscoring return, with understudies Che Adams and Michael Obafemi not producing enough. If they can find a suitable replacement for Ings as well as more cover in the backline for the outgoing Bertrand they may be capable of avoiding the drop.
Shoring up the defence
A leaky defence has been the route of a lot of Hasenhüttl’s problems since his arrival in England. The Saints shipped 68 goals in the Premier League last season including a 9-0 drumming at Old Trafford, the second time that has happened in successive seasons. It is understandable that Southampton want to play intuitive fluid football with the progressive passing that saw them soar through the table years ago, but this isn’t the same squad. Game management has to be better and if they can see out more games then expect the pressure to ease come May’s judgment day.
Keeping the faith
As mentioned before, in each of the last two seasons Hasenhüttl’s side have succumbed to 9-0 defeats and with the return of fans to fill out St Mary’s it simply cannot happen again. The new recruits will have it drummed into them that they are playing in front of a passionate crowd and with the experience the dressing room possesses they can keep a cool head. When given enough time and the right resources at Hasenhüttl’s disposal, they can become a formidable force once again and earn their status as an established Premier League club.
