Unavailable: Southampton – Forster, Gardoş, Clasie
Swansea – No Current Injuries
In Garry Monk’s pre-match press conference,
he was continually questioned as to whether he was concerned with his side’s
current form – highlighting the club’s established position in the best of the
rest pack in the Premier League. Since the Swans overcame Manchester United a
month ago at the Liberty Stadium, they have lost one, and drawn one in the
league, while they were defeated by Hull in the Capital One Cup this week.
Surely, this does not signify a crisis, yet listening to some of the questions
that Monk faced, you could be forgiven for thinking that the visitors on
Saturday were cast adrift at the bottom of the league.
The former Saint remarked that his club’s
continued success over the past few years has resulted in some wondering if he
is “reaching for the panic button” after a couple of negative results. Ronald
Koeman will undoubtedly sympathise with his counterpart on this subject. While
Southampton have certainly had a mixed start to the season, it has by no means
been poor, however last year’s scintillating performance still lingers in
people’s minds. Saturday’s match at St Mary’s acts as a chance for both teams
to prove that they are the proverbial “real deal”.
This game promises a great deal. The two
teams promote a similar footballing philosophy which incorporates possession
football with a cutting edge. The fact that they share such beliefs is
highlighted by the smooth transition that Jack Cork has enjoyed after swapping
Hampshire for South Wales in January. Frustrated at his inability to hold down
a starting berth at St Mary’s, the central midfielder sought pastures new, and
his excellent form at Swansea will be of no surprise to Saints fans. Playing in
the anchor role, the England Under-21 international has not had to readjust his
simple yet sophisticated game at the Liberty Stadium – while being strong in
the tackle, he nearly always finds a team-mate with his impressive passing
range.
While the central midfielder’s presence will
be important to his team on his St Mary’s return, Swansea’s threat will also
come down the wings. On the left side, Jefferson Montero will attempt to worry
Cédric Soares with his pace and creativity, but Saints have a prolific wideman
of their own, who has started to look back to his best in recent weeks, in the
form of Dušan Tadić. Although shut down well by Antonio Valencia in the second
half of the United match, the Serbian should cause Kyle Naughton a few problems
with his trickery and crossing ability. While it should be an intriguing
encounter for the neutral, both sides will be keen to pick up points to silence
the doubters.
Key
Battles
Fonte v
Gomis: It
would be fair to state that José Fonte has struggled to recapture his excellent
form from last season at the start of this campaign. Regardless of the fact
that the Saints captain has already had three different centre-back partners
this season, he has dropped short of the high standards that he has set himself
over the past few years with a patch of inconsistent form. After impressing
with Virgil van Dijk against West Brom, the Portuguese did not put in a glowing
performance against United. Partly at fault for two of the visitors’ goals,
Fonte lacked composure while he did not marshal his troops as United started to
get their foot on the ball. After dominating Louis Van Gaal’s men in the
opening stages, Saints dropped deep, yet Fonte did not order them to push up.
Of course, this is not the sole fault of the captain, as the midfield should
have felt the necessity of doing that themselves, but it was worrying from a
Saints perspective. Nevertheless, Fonte captained the side to the thumping of
MK Dons, as the defence kept a clean sheet.
This Saturday, he has a real opportunity to
prove himself once more against the force of nature that is Bafétimbi Gomis.
After many years in France, Swansea were the club to bring him in on a free transfer
last summer, and he has been an excellent replacement for Wilfried Bony. Providing pace and power at the spearhead of
Swansea’s attack, while being a positive example in the dressing room, the
French international is notching goals seemingly at will. His relationship with
André Ayew has been another plus this season, as the duo have impressed pundits
with their performances. Gomis will challenge Fonte this Saturday, as he will
act as a targetman, and run in behind on occasion, therefore the Southampton
captain will have to be cautious.
Wanyama
v Shelvey: Since
Southampton denied Victor Wanyama a deadline day move to Tottenham, the Kenyan
seems to have settled down, and let his feet do all the necessary talking. Although after putting in an assured performance at The Hawthorns on his return to the
team, the midfielder did struggle at some points against United last Sunday. He
will want to impose himself on this game, and his role will be vital in whether
Southampton obtain a positive result. While he will keen to keep the
influential Gylfi Sigurðsson at bay, the Kenya captain will have to cut off
Swansea’s supply line – this comes from Jonjo Shelvey. While the midfielder
found it challenging to impose himself on the national side in the recent game
against Switzerland, he remains a key part of his club. His passing ability
often triggers opportunities for his team-mates, therefore if Wanyama is able
to get into his face from the off, the Swans could struggle to enforce their offensive
tactics at St Mary’s.
Possible
Line-ups
Southampton:
Stekelenburg
– Soares, Fonte (C), Van Dijk, Targett – S. Davis, Wanyama – Mané, Rodriguez,
Tadić – Pellè
K. Davis, Yoshida, Long, Romeu, Ward-Prowse,
Bertrand, Ramírez
Swansea:
Fabiański
– Naughton, Fernández, Williams (C), Taylor – Cork, Shelvey – Ayew, Sigurðsson,
Montero – Gomis
Nordfeldt,
Ki, Routledge, Éder, Rangel, Bartley, Barrow
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