Southampton ten-game player analysis: Ryan Bertrand

Southampton have now officially played ten competitive games this season, and Ryan Bertrand has once again been a mainstay in the defence.

In fact, the only game that the 28-year-old hasn’t featured in this season was the Carabao Cup defeat at the hands of Wolves, a game that saw Mauricio Pellegrino lose his first as Southampton boss.

Except the season-opener against Swansea City, the English international has played the duration in every Premier League game so far this campaign, limiting Matt Targett and Sam McQueen to back-seat roles with the Under-23’s and occasionally off the subs bench.

In addition, he’s played three times for his country so far, getting off the mark with the Three Lions in a 4-0 win over Malta.

But many Southampton supporters were perhaps surprised to see Berty playing for the Saints come September, following intense speculation regarding his future over the summer. Liverpool, Chelsea and most prominently Manchester City all being credited with an interest in the left-back.

However, the England international remains with Southampton beyond the transfer deadline, and from the Saints’ first ten games, he’s looked a tad uninterested.

Supporters with a keen eye will note that Bertrand has very rarely cracked a smile whilst playing for the Saints this campaign, and although reading between the lines doesn’t always provide the answer, it could be smart to suggest that he might of wanted to move on this summer.

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 15: Ryan Bertrand of Southampton looks on during the Premier League match between Southampton and Newcastle United at St Mary’s Stadium on October 15, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

The stats

As previously mentioned, Bertrand has been near ever-present for the Saints in the league this season, making nine appearances out of a possible nine and racking up a total of 806 minutes of football.

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However, Bertrand is yet to get off the mark with assists, despite having as much of an influence on the attacking side of things as he did last season under Claude Puel. Last year he finished with four in the league from 28 games, an average of one every seven games.

However, whilst it comes from a smaller sample size, Bertrand is actually being more accurate with his crosses so far this season – last season only 15% found the head of a Southampton man, this season it sits at 17%.

What’s more, Bertrand’s attacking influence is highlighted by a steady increase in his average passes – nearly 53 a game compared to 46 last time.

Therefore, it could be suggested that Bertrand has upped his game a notch from last season, but again the sample size is a lot smaller. What’s more, assists and goals remain a lot more telling than pass accuracy and time on the ball, meaning the 28-year-old will want to make his hard work count over the next ten games.