PREVIEW: Southampton v Watford

Unavailable: Southampton – Bertrand

                       Watford – Dja Djédjé, Success

Premier League football has crept up on us again this weekend after a summer brimming with sport has somewhat distracted fans from the hustle and bustle of the transfer market. So what state are Southampton in ahead of this weekend's opener against Watford? Not bad at all. But nagging doubts persist in my mind over a few matters.

Firstly, Claude Puel's diamond. In his final season at Nice, the Frenchman elected the mercurial Hatem Ben Arfa as his creator-in-chief at the tip of the midfield, and he has now handed that role to Dušan Tadić. The Serbian having more of a significant duty in the side certainly isn't a negative as he has the necessary tools to slot balls through the opposition defence at will. The problem is the fact that you could stick a few double decker buses in between both strikers in this formation. Charlie Austin galloping down the right wing is definitely not something I thought I would see on a regular basis when Saints signed the former QPR man last January. 

This formation resembles more of a False 9 formation rather than a conventional diamond with two narrow forwards, and as much as it has facilitated some nice passing moves in pre-season, I do wonder whether it allows the team to drive forward and attack the opposition in the manner which has brought the club so much success in the last few years. Shane Long's goal in the Bilbao game was an example of this as he darted into the centre before chasing onto a long, direct ball, wrestling off a defender and slotting home. I dearly hope that Claude is proved right with his tactical decisions as he grapples with Premier League football, but if it doesn’t work, then he cannot afford to be stubborn in altering his team's shape.

Secondly, the club needs to add further players to the squad with a guaranteed extra six games on the horizon, but I have no doubt that the necessary business will be done – how close to the end of the window that will take place is yet to be decided. Finally, the José Fonte “possibly leaving” niggling doubt has to be extinguished. Quickly. The captain does not require a new contract but a firm clarification on his future would greatly aid the feeling around the club. If he doesn’t then the club should not force him to stay à la Morgan Schneiderlin or Victor Wanyama. The Portuguese is older and his prime years are limited. Fonte obviously wouldn’t be as disgruntled as the two former Saints midfielders if such a situation arose, but the regret of missing out on a move to a “bigger” outfit may leave a sour taste for him and the club.

Here's hoping that he leads the team out on Saturday modelling Under Armour's debut effort bearing the much maligned white panel as Saints face a Watford side in transition once again. Last season, Quique Sánchez Flores developed a style that was direct and effective as well as delivering an FA Cup semi-final before the over zealous Pozzo family decreed that the Spaniard had taken the Hornets as far as he could. Now Walter Mazzarri takes the reins with a 3-5-2 formation that saw the club promoted from the Championship under Slaviša Jokanović. Finding a settled team could be key for Mazzarri in a squad that has seen many a turnover over the last few years.

Watford may be hard to break down on Saturday, but Saints must remain vigilant and survey the threat of a side who will most likely always leave two men up top. Both sets of full-backs will push high, therefore space could open up on the wings. Can Saints expose this on the opening day?

Key Battles

Targett v Anya: Ikechi Anya has played as a winger and a full-back but he is at his best when occupying that hybrid role of wing-back. Quique Flores preferred to adopt a 4-4-2 last season, but under Walter Mazzarri, Anya can return to his wing-back slot and roam up and down the right channel with pace and guile. Facing him will be Matt Targett who has improved immeasurably in the space of a year. He is no longer bullied in the full-back position as he occasionally was when used in the early part of last season, and will be keen to highlight his worth with Ryan Bertrand out.

Redmond v Cathcart: Nathan Redmond is likely to continue in the left striker role and will be desperate to score an early goal in a Saints shirt to prove that he has the necessary finishing capacity. In pre-season, he has showed some good skill on the ball but has been trying too hard if anything – occasionally ignoring the simpler yet more effective option. The England U21 man is a player with great potential but Saints will have to unlock it to showcase the best of him. Craig Cathcart will be tough competition for him after an excellent mature showing at the Euros. Redmond will have to overcome the Northern Ireland man's physicality to have any joy.

Possible Line-ups

Southampton: Forster – Soares, Fonte (C), Van Dijk, Targett – Romeu, Højbjerg, S. Davis, Tadić – Long, Redmond

McCarthy, Yoshida, Clasie, Rodriguez, Austin, Martina, Ward-Prowse

Watford: Gomes – Cathcart, Prödl, Britos – Anya, Watson, Guedioura, Capoue, Holebas – Ighalo, Deeney (C)

Pantilimon, Nyom, Suárez, Amrabat, Behrami, Zúñiga, Sinclair