Analysing the season the Saints have had so far.
Problems were predicted for Southampton ahead of the 2014/15 season after their manager and five of their best players all left the club to further their careers.
READ MORE:
Why Southampton Can ‘Shock The World’ This Season And Finish In The Top Four.
Southampton Can ‘Shock The World’ By Qualifying For The Champions League Says Man United Target Schneiderlin.
Man United Target Southampton Pair In Audacious January Transfer Window Raid.
The Saints had been impressing since their return to the Premier League in 2012 and winning many over along the way with their attractive and free-flowing football, that was seeing them exceed most peoples’ expectations.
Yet the foundations that the success had been built on was beginning to crack as key players departed in quick succession.
Captain Adam Lallana, top-scorer Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren all joined Liverpool in a triple swoop from last year’s runners-up, whilst exciting youngsters Calum Chambers and Luke Shaw joined Arsenal and Manchester United respectively.
Lallana and Shaw were both named in the PFA Team of the Year in 2013/14 and when manager Mauricio Pochettino decided to also move on and take up the vacant position at Tottenham Hotspur, things looked very bleak at St Mary’s.
However, the appointment of the highly regarded Ronald Koeman went someway to dampening the misery on the South Coast, but there was still much work ahead.
Koeman raided the Eredivisie in his home nation of the Netherlands and relatively large fees were paid for the likes of Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic – players more or less unknown in English football.
Fast forward seven months and 22 league matches and things look a lot more positive in Hampshire though, with back-to-back away victories over the Red Devils and Newcastle United leaving the team tipped by many for relegation this term, sitting pretty in third.
Although Koeman would never admit it himself, many pundits are now seriously suggesting the side in red and white stripes could qualify for the Champions League this season ahead of more illustrious company.
To make things that little bit more sweet for the club, they are currently ahead of all of those that left for supposed “bigger” sides and they also made close to £100m from their sales.
Asked how a modern football club should be run and many experts would point to Southampton and if they were to finish in the top four it would be just desserts for a club that seems to do things the right way.