12 August 2024
Saints Looking to Perform Premier League Miracles
Southampton bowed out of the top-flight after an eleven year stay as they were relegated to the Championship. Losing James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia seemed inevitable after going down but meant the club needed to rebuild without these two key players. Despite this, they were still one of the favourites to make an immediate return.
Missing out on automatic promotion was a blow to The Saints but they still managed to secure a place in the play-off final. Facing another club craving a return to the Premier League, they went into the game as underdogs against Leeds Utd. The stakes could not be higher and it was fitting that the game should take place at Wembley Stadium.
Winning this game carried a prize valued at £140m. Adam Armstrong’s goal led to promotion back to the top-flight at the first time of asking. Russell Martin had delivered on his promise to get Southampton back to where they feel they belong, the Premier League. The Saints have taken their preparations for the top-flight seriously, adding fourteen players to strengthen their squad.
One player who has returned to the club is fan-favourite Adam Lallana. Having left the club to join Liverpool, he had a short stay at Brighton before making the move back to St Mary’s. On his day the midfielder has the skills to unlock any defence. At 36-years-old now, he may prove to be more of a bit-part player, looking to make a difference from the bench.
Russell Martin has form for his teams looking to play ‘keep-ball’ in all areas of the pitch. They look to play football and work the channels. This proved successful last season but the Premier League could be a very different beast. The Saints may find it harder to do this against better quality opponents who are likely to dominate possession more.
The signing of Ben Brereton Diaz seems a huge positive. He spent six months on loan at Sheff Utd last season and stood out like a sore thumb as a real attacking threat. His movement, skill and ability to get shots off at goal will be key for Southampton. Adam Armstrong has a huge part to play if they are to stay in the top-flight. Having scored 24 goals in the league last season, The Saints will need him to find his scoring touch in the Premier League from the outset.
Southampton’s success in their previous life in the Premier League came from their scouting network. They seemed to have a knack for unearthing hidden gems. Sadio Mane, Dusan Tadic, Virgil van Dijk, Morgan Schneiderlin, Adam Lallana, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Victor Wanyama, Luke Shaw, Theo Walcott, Graziano Pelle, Danny Ings and Rickie Lambert all shone for the club. Many went on to have successful careers with some of Europe’s top clubs.
Whether the club still has that Midas touch remains to be seen. There is no doubting that they cannot afford to shell out huge transfer fees on big names, they need to work smartly. The likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Will Smallbone will be key to their first season back in the top-flight. Martin got most of his transfer business done early, giving him time to work with his squad of players, which could be pivotal to their survival.
While it seems small-minded to talk about all the focus being on avoiding relegation, it is a realism of the gulf between the Championship and the Premier League. It is like trading in your Ford Fiesta for a Bugatti Veyron. There is no doubting that the club has a wealth of experience at this level but it is the players in this current squad that have to carry the torch now, history is just for museums. This league can be very unforgiving.
The fixture list has been kind to Russell Martin’s side. They will host Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Ipswich Town early on in the season. These will prove to be the ultimate six-pointers. Forty points tends to be the benchmark for survival. Whichever way you look at it, you need to win around twelve games as a minimum to ensure you beat the drop. There are certain games you have to target as ‘winnable’ while others will be looked at as a ‘free hit’ where you do not expect to get anything from them.
Scoring did not seem a problem for Southampton last season, bagging 87 goals in the process. One concern will be they seemed just as skilled at conceding them also. The Saints shipped 63 goals in the Championship, a major red flag coming into the top-flight. There aren’t many sides in the Premier League who do not have considerable firepower.
One important factor for Martin’s side will be St Mary’s Stadium and their fans. When they were relegated, the Saints lost 12 of their 19 home matches. It had become all too easy for sides to travel to the south coast and come away with the spoils. The club improved on that stat massively last season, only losing five games at home.
Russell Martin has had success at every club he has been at in his managerial career so far. Promotion to the top-flight with Southampton continues that trend but this will prove to be his biggest challenge to date. His vision and abilities will decide whether the club can mix it at this level with some of Europe’s elite. Often when teams falter, fans and pundits alike point fingers at the players who are not performing, but it is the manager who carries the can for failure.
For Martin, the next 38 games will decide whether he is saint or sinner, quite literally. St Mary’s is ready, as are the fans but whether the squad is, remains to be seen. At this level it is not just about winning well, losing is just as important. Heavy defeats can be demoralising and the club needs to be competitive in every fixture if they are to become Premier League regulars.
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