Southampton: Should Pellegrino ban mince pies over Christmas?
Approaching Christmas, Southampton’s squad has suffered hardly any injuries, however, they are by no stretch of the meaning ‘fully-fit’, according to findings.
From a handpicked selection of first team regulars, 21 in total, the average weight of players from the sample is 75kg.
Of course, height plays a key factor in these calculations, and in total, there are exactly eleven players’ that mount to at least six feet tall.
On Pep Guardiola’s arrival to the Premier League, he instantly made the decision to ban pizza from his Manchester City player’s diet, and ruled that those who attended training overweight could not participate.
According to BMI measurements, Nathan Redmond is the only player who is technically carrying a little more weight than recognised as normal for a person of that height, however, sportsman tend to possess more muscle than the average working class male.
So is there the need for Southampton to adopt similar strategies, in order to contend?
The fastest players including Sofiane Boufal and Ryan Bertrand are the by far the lightest. However, it is the likes of phenomenas Charlie Austin and Virgil van Dijk who weigh in at the most.
All in all, there is a healthy balance of players in the right places, but perhaps Southampton could invest in a couple of new additions to bulk up the midfield, but also to support the forwards with pace. For example, Oriol Romeu is six feet tall, but weighs less than the average player in the 21-man squad. This could be a weakness worth recognising for Mauricio Pellegrino, approaching the January window.
Meanwhile, with Charlie Austin preferred to Shane Long at the time being, more pace in the midfield may also be what’s required to transform golden opportunities in to goals, and more importantly points.
A player who is light on their feet such as N’Golo Kante should bolster these attacks and cause a bigger threat to opposition on the break. This is what the top teams in the division are currently capable of doing.
On a positive note, Southampton’s side is very much a youthful one, with just two players in their early thirties, while the average age is low at merely 25.
The manager has played some part in this, bringing in new blood such as Mario Lemina and Jan Bednarek into the squad. However, there is still more that could be done, in terms of utilising the under-23’s and on the fringe players.
Josh Sims is just one that springs to mind, who made seven league appearances under Claude Puel, but is yet to get his opportunity under Mauricio Pellegrino due to injury.
It is important to develop players within the club’s framework as well as approaching talent in the transfer market. Anyone bought in January will provide competition for these youngsters, so therefore care needs to be taken.
A welcomed move for winger Theo Walcott is obviously the only exception, as he has begun his career at Saints. Walcott is on the radar of a few clubs, including West Ham, and Everton reportedly. His skills and pace would certainly speed up Saints’ attack, and is in exquisite physical shape.
In conclusion, it is key to Southampton’s season how the squad manages itself under Mauricio Pellegrino’s authority. Hopefully, with plenty of talent still to come into the fold, he will select the fittest eleven to win matches.