This weekend the Saints face arguably their biggest test of the season – an away trip to one of the league’s ‘big six’.
Liverpool are also potentially set to welcome back two of their best players, with Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane seemingly returning to full fitness. At the same time, Mario Lemina has been ruled out of a return by Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino.
With Fraser Forster struggling in goal as of late Liverpool remain odds-on favourites to win all three points, despite Southampton performing well against the other only other top team they’ve faced in Manchester United.
But Liverpool themselves haven’t made for easy viewing either – struggles at the back have seen the Reds concede too many, and thus sit outside the top four. Liverpool supporter and Anfield HQ writer Scott Taylor admits that the side’s start has been irritating.
"“The start has been frustrating, fifth in the Premier League and still within touching distance of the top four, but up until the last two games it had been a poor start in the league, and they’ve drew far too many games. “However, being top of the Champions League Group is always a positive and with players coming back from injury, the team should be confident they can push on up the table.”"
Jurgen Klopp has slowly assembled a rapid, goal-scoring quartet of attackers since joining the side back in 2015. Long gone are the days of a Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez partnership up top, with the Reds’ goals coming from a well-spread balance of the pacey front-line.
But for Scott, one man stands out more than most:
"“Mohamed Salah is without a doubt our biggest dangerman – 12 goals in 17 games is good for any player, let alone someone that was dubbed ‘another Cuadrado’. “He may have been brought for £35 million, but that is a bargain considering the fees that Man United paid for Lukaku and Chelsea paid for Morata. His pace, his skill and his confidence has proved why Frank Lampard has labelled him the signing of the summer.”More from Saints MarchingGrading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 2: ArrivalsGrading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 1: DeparturesIt’s time to talk about Gavin BazunuRain clouds on the horizon? Southampton beat Plymouth ArgyleA lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse"
What remains unclear is how the Saints plan to stop Liverpool’s onslaught of counter-attacking pace. Setting up with Steven Davis and Oriol Romeu as defensive-midfield partners seems an obvious choice, to give the defense as much support as it can.
But setting up in the compact, narrow diamond we’ve seen in recent weeks could also be a viable shout – especially with Scott suggesting that Liverpool have struggled against tightly-packed sides.
"“The defensive issue has obviously been the biggest problem, but two things that have been documented in recent weeks is the inability to break compact teams down, as seen in the first half against Huddersfield, and also the lack of creativity in the midfield. “Those two are linked, but with the return of Adam Lallana and Phillipe Coutinho to the side, then this should be resolved soon.”"
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Nonetheless the game remains unpredictable – with too many factors to take into account. The Saints have been poor post-international break as previous results show, but the squad could be fired up after their performance against United.
Scott believes that Southampton will sit deep and soak up pressure, with it being a tight game.
"“On paper it sets up to be a very tight game, a good defence against a phenomenal attack and an attack lacking confidence against a defence which very much has mistakes in them. “All the talk will be about Van Dijk, and the Dutchman will have a key part to play in the outcome of this match. Saints will sit back, but the return of Mane and Coutinho hopefully be enough to break them down.”"
Southampton versus Liverpool kicks off this Saturday at 3:00 PM.