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Southampton vs Leicester City: The Best XI

By Aaron Preston

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 03: Jordy Clasie of Southampton in action with Daniel Drinkwater and Shinji Okazaki of Leicester City during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Southampton at The King Power Stadium on April 3, 2016 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 03: Jordy Clasie of Southampton in action with Daniel Drinkwater and Shinji Okazaki of Leicester City during the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Southampton at The King Power Stadium on April 3, 2016 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 25: Charlie Austin of Southampton (10) celebrates with Virgil van Dijk (17) as he scores their first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Southampton at London Stadium on September 25, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 25: Charlie Austin of Southampton (10) celebrates with Virgil van Dijk (17) as he scores their first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Southampton at London Stadium on September 25, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

Virgil van Dijk

Virgil is a shoo-in choice here, coming in over Jose Fonte owing to the latter’s post-Euro decline in form of late. The Dutchman has a commanding presence on the pitch that sends a clear message to the opposition: enter my zone at your peril. He’s been a consummate leader this year, donning the captain’s armband in relief of Fonte and rallying the back line to an impressive run of form lately.

At 25 and towering at 6’4″, he’s an imposing presence who can move the opposition off the ball and get forward a lot quicker than you’d expect for a defender. He played a big role in the first of Southampton’s 3 goals over West Ham and fans can expect him to keep chipping in as the season wears on.

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Wes Morgan

Leicester’s Jamaican captain is everything Southampton’s Jose Fonte should be, at comparable age and role. Confident, composed, bossing, and an utter rock in the defensive back line. Morgan doesn’t make many mistakes, and doesn’t have too many off-days, and in defence it’s consistency that counts. I’ll take him on my back four any day of the week.

With the back line filled out, it’s still 3-2 to Southampton.