Unavailable:
Southampton – Gardoş, Rodriguez
West Brom – Morrison
If there was an ideal tonic to prepare a team
to face a rigid Tony Pulis side, it would be Southampton’s victory over Watford.
After two months of tedious football bar that memorable encounter with Arsenal,
Southampton finally cut loose to the detriment of the Hornets on Wednesday
night. Although the result was not as emphatic as it was against the Gunners,
Saints left their opponents grasping at thin air. The Dutchman opted to deploy
a 5-2-2-1 formation which dominated talk in the hour prior to kick-off with
Ryan Bertrand coming in at centre-back to quell the threat of Troy Deeney and
Odion Ighalo, however the prolific strike duo were not allowed any hint of a
clear cut opportunity at St Mary’s. It was not the three centre-backs that
stifled the visitors though, as the frontmen were rarely even found.
The strong performance was built on a
platform constructed by the central midfield duo of Oriol Romeu and Jordy
Clasie – one of the first few times this season when a decent partnership has
been struck in that area of the team. In front of them, Sadio Mané and Steven
Davis played somewhat narrower roles behind Shane Long giving wing backs Matt
Targett and Cédric Soares the license to roam forward. As illustrated by the
first goal, Koeman’s tactics were effective, however the extra centre-back was
not necessary. Two defensive midfielders such as Romeu and Clasie should
provide adequate cover at home to have four offensive players in front of them
including a genuine No 10, or even an extra striker (perish the thought in the
modern era). Regardless, Saints carved Watford open on numerous occasions, and
it should give them hope ahead of the visit of West Brom.
However, Pulis’ side provide a vastly
different test to that posed by the Hornets. While Wednesday’s opponents would
saunter forward at any given opportunity, the Baggies will most likely produce
a resilient front that will be hard to crack. In fact, it is slightly
disappointing that the tactics of Pulis seem to have regressed in this season
which has been so hard to predict and when teams such as Leicester have toppled
the standard order. To label West Brom’s style in the last few months as “pragmatic”
would be generous. Pulis still attempts to incorporate expansive wing play,
with a targetman spearheading his team, however it is disappointing that he has
not grabbed the proverbial bull by the horns with a team that is bursting with
Premier League experience – even in home games, the Welshman remains reserved
with his tactics.
One man who encompasses far more than the standard
qualities of your habitual targetman is former Saint Rickie Lambert. The
Liverpudlian has not received a fair amount of playing time since his St Mary’s
departure, but he still has the tools to be West Brom’s pinnacle with his
talent to run into the channels and manoeuvre space, as well as to hold the
ball up in central areas. The large majority of Southampton fans would wish him
well after Saturday’s game.
Key
Battles
Mané v
Brunt/Evans: Chris
Brunt is gifted with an excellent left foot, and has put in numerous
accomplished performances as the archetypal left midfielder, but a full-back he
is simply not. On several occasions this season, the Northern Irishman has been
embarrassed as he flounders in defence. Often, he is caught out of position,
and this is something that the Saints coaching staff have surely identified as
a weakness. The likely man to exploit that frailty will be Mané. After a much
improved display against Watford, he should be direct enough in his approach to
hurt the Baggies rearguard. Jonny Evans is also awkward at left-back, suffering
a lack of mobility that hinders him, therefore the Senegalese will also be
likely to have some joy if the former Manchester United man is given the nod.
Soares
v McClean: James
McClean is an awkward player to handle, and Soares would do well to keep close
tabs on him this Saturday. With the possibility of the offensive Brunt behind
him, the Portuguese will need to remain wary of the overlap from both players.
Neither player is likely to cut in frequently, however the right-back will also
have to be prepared for that eventuality. The Irish winger can be a fiery
personality, therefore Soares should be wary of being sucked into petty squabbles.
Possible
Line-ups
Southampton: Forster – Soares,
Van Dijk, Fonte (C), Bertrand, Targett – Romeu, Clasie – Mané, S. Davis – Long
Stekelenburg,
Yoshida, Tadić, Wanyama, Martina, Ward-Prowse, Pellè
West
Brom: Myhill
– Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Brunt – Yacob – McManaman, Gardner, Fletcher (C), McClean
– Rondón
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