It's a squad game Based on 4-3-3 Goalkeepers Boruc, Gazzaniga, Newbie Defenders Clyne, Chambers, Fonte, Lovren, Turnbull, Shaw, Targett, Newbie Midfielders Cork, Davis, Wanyama, Schneiderlin, Ward-Prowse, Reed, Newbie Forwards Lambert, Gallagher, Rodriguez, Ramirez, Lallana, Newbie, Newbie 25 spaces, but we might not fill all of them with signings Reading Keeper(forgot his name) Dier Daehli Pelle Muriel
This is bizarre. How many people have said "our 1st XI is able to compete with the top 6"? How were we doing before our injury crisis? Change the title to squad rather than team. Yes we need new players but I wouldn't be quick to drop players like fonte and Davis. We need improvements but realistically we are not going to replace players just because the won't walk into citehs 1st XI. Evolution not revolution, 1-2 standout players to improve, 1-2 players on par with what we have to provide competition. If we do this then we can break in to top 6.
Next season Saints have to be at least equal or better than Arsenal. That's tough, but Everton have shown that it is possible. The attitude that needs to be lost is that Champions League doesn't happen to a club like Southampton. Well, Champions League [European Cup] didn't happen to any side before the competition was invented, so there's no convention. Nobody has a divine right to enter and compete. No football club has to bow to anyone else. There are rules in football that need to be adhered to, but being chivalrous is not one of them.
I don't think the problem is divine right, I think the problem is getting about 20-25 more points next season, or even in the next two seasons. Everton may have gone from a relatively similar position to challenging for Champions League, but there points gain will be about 10, and that is from a significant upturn for them. There's still progress we can make but it's going to be taken one step at a time and the next step is not the CL.
Football is essentially a simple game and the equation for Saints to step up to the next level is also simple...make less defensive mistakes that lead to goals and take more goalscoring opportunities. As has been noted on another thread, we have amongst the best possession stats in Europe so we need to exploit this possession to our advantage. As has also been pointed out, the results when we were injury free were very good, so the solution is obvious, strengthen the defence and attack depth overall bringing in a quality GK, CB, Forward/Winger and a prolific Striker.
If you look at it another way, if we had got a few more lucky breaks this season in games we should have won, or at least scraped a draw, we could easily have been about 15 points better off. If you use that as a baseline, then what you suggest isn't that far away. Look at our progress in the last 5 seasons, in positions below the top of the Premier League: 2009-10: 51st 2010-11: 46th 2011-12: 22nd 2012-13: 14th 2013-14: 8th If that rate of progress is continued, and the messages coming from the board are showing they want it to, we can finish next season in the top 6, with a chance of top 4 the following year. Just believe it.
Personally, although the Premier League is competitive it is weaker than it has been for a while therefore it is a good time to zip up the ziggurat!
I predict that Jack Cork won't play the first 8-10 games of next season, but will then come in and arguably be our most consistent player for the rest of the campaign - for the third year in a row - only for him to be dropped again for the start of the season after that. And so on.
Clever. He's one of those players who isn't an instant game changer but is so reliable that you almost dare not have him play against you. He is a rock.
