It’s been a pretty smooth ride for new Southampton manager Claude Puel. The Frenchman took over the hot seat when Ronald Koeman jumped ship to Everton last summer. The exit from the Europa League was a bit of a downer despite beating Inter Milan, but the boon is that they won’t have any distractions and can focus on the League and the League Cup semi-finals.
The transfer window is almost upon us and it’s very likely the Saints will be active regardless of what is said in the media. The South Coast club are currently seventh in the League table but things could have been better if they had more potency in front of goal.
Southampton were always a resolute defensive unit under Koeman and that hasn’t changed under Puel. They have conceded just 16 goals which is the third best defensive record in the league but they have managed to score just 17 goals in 17 games. Have they struggled to create chances?
A look at the stats will tell you that their players have managed to create 187 key passes, which is the fourth highest in the league, behind only Spurs, Liverpool and Man City. They’ve take a total of 258 shots, out of which 106 have been from the outside area. Now, those numbers don’t make a good reading. While the shots from outside of the area is fine, Southampton have a shot accuracy of 47%, which is the seventh highest in the league and is a pretty good representation of their League position. Now, all this points towards one thing; clearly the Saints need to buy another striker. (Stats via Squawka.com)
Southampton have a pretty good number nine in Charlie Austin but he’s out injured at the moment and could miss for a while. In his absence, no one has been able to step up properly. Shane Long has been wasteful in goal while Jay Rodriguez was out for such a long time that he only put in a good performance in the last fixture against Bournemouth. Rodriguez is a pretty good player and can lead the line when fit, but injury concerns will always be present.
The club got rid of Graziano Pelle in the summer but didn’t sign an out and out striker to replace him. They have missed a player who can take away defenders or provide a bit of aerial strength inside the box.
The future of both their defenders is uncertain but Puel needs to ensure he signs a striker if the Saints are to challenge the top six teams in the second half of the season.
