Southampton’s inconsistent start to the season has seen comparisons drawn to the football played last campaign, with fans disgruntled about the team’s failings in front of goal.
With that in mind, just how does their 2017/18 start compare to the previous year’s first eight games? And did Mauricio Pellegrino’s Alaves side show similar starting form with him in charge?
The first eight: Puel vs Pellegrino
Southampton’s first eight games have seen them win two, draw three and lose three; collecting nine points out of a possible 24 under new manager Mauricio Pellegrino.
After going unbeaten in their first three league matches, their form has taken a turn for the worst as attacking problems limit their creativity and goal-scoring.
This record is similar to the start of Saints’ last season under the guidance of Claude Puel. Under the Frenchman, the first eight games yielded three more points and three more goals despite having less favourable fixtures. The difference of three goals scored for Puel’s Saints is significant as it could have been enough for three extra wins over Pellegrino’s start.
| Saints 2017/2018 first eight games (under Pellegrino) | Saints 2016/2017 first eight games (under Puel) | |
| Wins, draws, losses | 2,3,3 | 3,3,2 |
| Points | 9 | 12 |
| Goals for, goals against | 7,9 | 10,7 |
Stats taken from premierleague.com
Neither of these records are particularly impressive with a large amount of points dropped in both periods, but they both highlight the troubles that Saints are having in front of goal.
The fact that they are still struggling a year later shows that not a lot has changed in that time, despite different managers. The players are still lacking confidence in front of goal, attacking quality hasn’t been brought in and they are still to find the right system to exploit their talent.
Another interesting point of comparison, especially with misfiring Saints, is the attacking stats from the first eight games of both seasons. To many fans, it appears that Southampton are playing in the same way as they have been for the last twelve months. However, the stats show that attacking output and creativity under Pellegrino is even worse than under Puel.
| Saints 2017/2018 first eight games (under Pellegrino) | Saints 2016/2017 first eight games (under Puel) | |
| Chances created | 91 | 111 |
| Possession average per game | 57% | 54% |
| Completed passes | 3399 | 3346 |
| Shot Accuracy | 29% | 50% |
| Shots | 115 | 146 |
| Completed passes per chance created | 37.4 | 30.1 |
Stats taken from squawka.com
As the table above shows, Pellegrino’s Saints are having more of the ball on average per game, but ending up with even less threat to the opposition’s goal. They have had less shots, created less chances and taken more passes to create a chance than Saints under Puel.
Perhaps the most striking figure here is the shot accuracy, with just 29% of Southampton’s Premier League shots going on target or testing the opposition goalkeeper. So, not only are they taking more passes to create chances, but they are wasting chances much more freely than last season.
This is a worrying fact, albeit early in the season. Claude Puel was sacked for his team’s turgid style of play and the problems that created that have continued to this season. The players lack conviction in front of goal and individuals seem to be suffering from a lack of confidence in performance, and something will need to change to enable them to perform better for the rest of the campaign.
We did see signs of improvement in last weekend’s draw with Newcastle, with Pellegrino using two strikers and also using a more direct style in the second-half.
Gabbiadini is back among the goals and that will also be vital in taking Saints forward. It is also important that a more successful approach is found ahead of three winnable games against West Brom, Brighton and Burnley that could kick-start their season again.
How did Pellegrino’s Alaves side compare?
Are Saints struggles a continuation of last season’s problems, or is Pellegrino still trying to implement his style on his team to find a favoured playing system?
Once again, some of the stats from his Alaves side are remarkably similar. As we can see from the table below, Alaves took one more point thanks to one extra draw. The main differences are chances created and shots.
| Pellegrino’s Alaves 2016/2017 first eight games | Pellegrino’s Saints 2017/2018 first eight games | |
| Wins, draws, losses | 2,4,2 | 2,3,3 |
| Points | 10 | 9 |
| Goals for, goals against | 9,8 | 7,9 |
| Chances created | 51 | 91 |
| Possession average | 46% | 57% |
| Completed passes | 2058 | 3399 |
| Shot Accuracy | 38% | 29% |
| Shots | 68 | 115 |
| Passes per chance created | 40.4 | 37.4 |
Stats taken from squawka.com
These differences are to be expected however, with Alaves a newly promoted La Liga side scrapping for points and Southampton, who look to play on the front foot as an established Premier League club.
The comparison of completed passes also hints at a counter attacking and more defensive style for Alaves, who preferred to nick points here and there to ensure survival.
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It worked spectacularly for them though, as they finished in 9th on 55 points and reached the Copa Del Rey final. In their first eight league games, they managed a stunning 2-1 victory over giants Barcelona at the Camp Nou and went eight league games unbeaten at the end of the season. Saints fans will be hoping that unbeaten runs emerge before the end of this campaign so their team can lookup the table rather than over their shoulders.
However, this underdog status is what is proving a problem for Pellegrino now. He is having to adapt a defensive, newly-promoted side style of play into an attractive attacking style with Saints. This was always going to be difficult, especially with Saints’ players still suffering from the scars of last season’s displays.
He has at least now started to look at different formations and direct play to help his new side. It hasn’t been pretty so far, but steady progress is still being made. It may take time for Pellegrino to adapt to the positive ways in which Saints need to play, and it may also take time for his players to fully understand his key principles.
Next: Early season contributor roundtable discussion
Saints are a team very much in transition, and therefore patience may be needed from fans and the Southampton board in order for performances to improve considerably. January signings could help to provide competition and extra attacking quality, but Pellegrino’s Alaves took a long time to piece together an unbeaten run, and that may prove to be the case with Saints too.
The glories of past years may be gone for a short while, but Southampton are certainly a club that remains in a very strong position in the Premier League.