Southampton recently beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils failing to register a shot on target in the entire 90 minutes. It put the Saints 3rd in the Premier League table this season after 21 games, and Ronald Koeman’s side have now picked up 13 points from a possible 15 against the likes of Everton, Crystal Palace Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Bookmakers have ahead the South Coast outfit ahead of Liverpool and Tottenham in the race for the top-four, and given they have taken seven points off three Premier League giants, Southampton are certainly in the reckoning.
“We know that we have a strong team. We got a point against Chelsea, three points against Arsenal and now three against Manchester United. That makes belief in the players. They are not afraid. We have 11 clean sheets in 21 games. If we keep the spirit and the organisation, we can (finish top-four),” said manager Ronald Koeman.
Southampton have endured a slump in form this season – going five league games without a win – but recovered sensationally since then, and find themselves with the best defensive record in the league (15). They have lost more games (6) than the sides directly around them in the table, but only Chelsea (15) and Manchester City (14) have won more games than the Saints (12) which has been a huge factor of their bright start.
The South Coast club have drawn the least amount of games in the Premier League (3) this season, and are instead fighting for the win in every game they’re in. Koeman will not settle for less, and it’s been rubbing off on the players. Southampton have certainly benefited from the slow starts made by Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham, which gave them a real head start in the top-four race, but they have more than made the most of their chance.
Many have been expecting a dip in form from Southampton that would see them be replaced by the usual suspects, but it just isn’t coming this season. Their biggest task will be fending off interest for their top performing players, but few would surely want to leave while the Saints are currently in the top-four.
There are still 17 games and 51 points to play for this season, which can have a big impact on where teams end up, and this is the time of the year when the league starts to take shape, but Southampton keep confounding their critics and have stayed in the top-six since the end of August onwards. They have proved their mettle against the big sides, and are running out of obstacles to overcome.
