Southampton Look To Continue Amazing EPL Form
By Nick Burgess
@NickBurgess92
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No one gave Southampton a shot to be a top team this season. After losing their brilliant young manager, Mauricio Pochettino, to Tottenham, they then sold their star players to the bigger clubs and essentially had to start from scratch in the summer.
Hiring Ronald Koeman has turned out to be a masterclass by the Southampton board of directors. The Dutchman has guided the Saints to only one loss on the season and a spot in second place behind Chelsea at only six points off the pace.
They have managed to avoid the pitfall that both Spurs and Liverpool have fallen into, which is when you sell a big player, don’t go out and buy lots of lesser players with that money. Liverpool did it with Luis Suarez and Spurs did it with Gareth Bale, and both teams have failed in the transfer market. Southampton relied on their world famous youth academy, as well as buying under-the-radar players, like Grazianno Pelle, to make a difference in the team.
It will be very tough now for Southampton to maintain their form throughout the season. With second place belonging to them, they now have a target on their backs and will not be able to sneak up on teams like they have done so far this season. With a tough run coming up, including a game against the in-form Manchester United, they will look to maintain their spot in the top four, but it will be extraordinarily difficult.
Nick Burgess is a soccer columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickBurgess92, “Like” him on Facebook and connect with him on Google.
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