At the start of the summer, with Southampton players and management reportedly queuing for the exit, I wrote that the club had wasted its big chance to make meaningful and lasting strides in English football’s standings. With piercing insight I identified Chairman Nicola Cortese’s January departure as the root cause. Justly, I bemoaned our chances of holding onto the star players. A hugely difficult season was surely to follow for the depleted squad left behind, I reasoned sagely.
After eleven Premier League fixtures, Southampton sit in second place. They boast the nation’s best defensive record, and beat Sunderland by a record eight goals to nil. They have reached the League Cup quarter-finals after winning away at Arsenal and Stoke. It has been their best ever start to a top-flight season; my confident prediction of a supremely underwhelming future with a demotivated and makeshift squad now appears patently ridiculous. At the time it was commonplace.
In May, Mauricio Pochettino became Tottenham’s latest new manager. Evidently he was unconvinced that the club could sustain its progress and momentum without Cortese. I shared his worries and met his decision with a glum acceptance; it was to be expected. With the popular Argentine gone, what the media would dub ‘the great Southampton exodus’ began in earnest.
First, club legend Rickie Lambert got his dream move to Liverpool. The excellent Luke Shaw joined Manchester United. Dejan Lovren was eventually reunited with his head, which he claimed had been at Anfield for some time. Adam Lallana’s form was rewarded and he also joined Liverpool. Yet another academy graduate, Calum Chambers, joined Arsenal after just one year and 23 appearances in the Saints’ first team. “Our position remains unchanged in that we are determined to keep our best young players at the club”, said Les Reed.
From Match of the Day darlings to crisis club in a few short weeks; panic and ridicule abound on social media. To many, myself included, this marked the end of the club’s journey since the 2009 takeover. Those most associated with that era were gone. The sales were the first in years that felt beyond the club’s control; tacit admittance that with Cortese went our ambition. Smarting from this painful realisation, we braced ourselves for a decline to plodding mediocrity.
Left holding the proverbial baby in the offices of St Mary’s were director Les Reed and new chairman Ralph Krueger. Berated for their singular lack of strategy (guilty), fans and commentators condemned the sales. The disillusioned fan-base was unhelpful but a growing list of wantaway players was their more pressing concern. At the height supporter outrage it was said that Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez were too close to leaving. Finally, Krueger broke cover:
“Morgan and Jay are part of the core we have decided to keep at Southampton” he said, “the deals put us in a strong position to reinvest and rebuild.” At the time Krueger’s spin was met with no small amount of mockery (me, again); the fans’ trust had eroded. An angry twitter outburst from Schneiderlin suggested Krueger had lost the support of the remaining players too, but a line had been drawn and the club dare not cross it now. ‘No more’, Southampton said. It has proved to be a major turning point.
In the midst of the panic and the anger of the summer, Dutchman Ronald Koeman had been appointed as the club’s new manager. With a CV that included two Europeans Cups and four La Liga titles as a player, Koeman was never likely to be content to see Southampton regress under his stewardship; his tenure so far has completely reversed the anticipated Southampton narrative of 2014/15.
As yet, his signings have been almost unanimously successful; Graziano Pelle, fresh off the back of two highly prolific seasons playing for Koeman at Feyenoord, has settled in very nicely indeed, adding a formidable physical presence and recording nine strikes already. I had feared the 29 year-old would flop in the Premier League, citing Altidore’s Law: Those who many score in Holland shall not also score many in England. As is the season’s theme - I was very wrong.
Dusan Tadic, another signing from the Eredivisie, has also shone; his vision, footwork and crossing have done much to fill Lallana’s shoes. Ryan Bertrand’s arrival was deemed by some fans (my apologies, Ryan) as scant consolation for the loss of Shaw, but so good has Bertrand been that the youngster hasn’t been missed. Alderweireld and Forster are further astute additions to the Saints’ defence – high in confidence and quality. Mane and Long add diverse options up front.
Koeman’s recruitment may account a portion of the early success – but Southampton’s record of 25 points from 11 games bears further explanation.
Somehow, Koeman made converts of those fiercely loyal to the old regime. Schneiderlin’s was a situation that threatened to turn very bitter indeed, but his application and commitment have been exemplary since the season’s start. Jose Fonte was also linked with a move away; Koeman made him captain and he has since got his first Portugal call-up at the age of 30. Nathaniel Clyne, who shared a position with Calum Chambers last term, is absolutely thriving and must now be seen as a front-runner for England’s right back slot at Euro 2016. Those Southampton chose to retain are producing their finest ever form in positions of new responsibility in the team. I eagerly await Jay Rodriguez’s return.
Koeman’s side press for the ball in the opponents’ half, not unlike Pochettino, though perhaps with the lung-busting intensity turned down a notch or two from eleven. Midfielders Davis, Wanyama, Schneiderlin and Cork are all expert at regaining possession but pick their moments to force errors. Southampton have profited from plenty of these at vital times already this season; Wanyama’s wonderful finish at Hull was virtue of harrying a nervous keeper, while Newcastle and Sunderland gifted goals at St Mary’s. Fortunate yes, but not a coincidence.
With odds shortening on a top four finish and a title challenge endorsed by several pundits who should know better, a fresh challenge awaits Koeman after the international break when a run of difficult fixtures come thick and fast. The Saints’ start means they can afford to lose a few, and they probably will. How they recover in the New Year will be what decides their season and whether they really stand a chance of European football – a truly momentous achievement that would stun the English game. I suspect not, but I’ve been wrong before…
