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Southampton: 2017/18 half-season review – Sofiane Boufal

By Daniel Hargraves

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 30: Sofiane Boufal of Southampton is watched by Jesse Lingard of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Southampton at Old Trafford on December 30, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 30: Sofiane Boufal of Southampton is watched by Jesse Lingard of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Southampton at Old Trafford on December 30, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
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24 games in (in all competitions) and we’re just over halfway through the 2017/18 season which has been a mixed campaign thus far for Moroccan winger Sofiane Boufal.

The play-maker has so far scored one wonder goal against West Brom, one cancellation against Tottenham, and recorded one assist which is rather underwhelming when you consider the moments of quality that he has produced this season.

The 24 year-old, as we know, is very talented on the ball and has a huge box of tricks in his locker; using these tricks effectively has been his problem though.

End product has been lacking by Boufal so far as his goals tally suggests. He’s been able to show some skill but it’s usually ended up in the winger getting tackled or his pass being misplaced to the great frustration of Saints fans.

After his £16 million move in summer of 2016, lots of Southampton fans were incredibly exciting over the prospect of the winger who, despite carrying an injury when signing, started brilliantly with another wonder goal on his debut against Sunderland. We all thought that we had a gem in our hands but, 14 months since that debut, the former Lille player is yet to light up the Premier League.

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: Sofiane Boufal of Southampton celebrates with teammates after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Southampton and West Bromwich Albion at St Mary’s Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: Sofiane Boufal of Southampton celebrates with teammates after scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Southampton and West Bromwich Albion at St Mary’s Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) /

Boufal was, in my opinion, unlucky to begin the first few months of the season left out of the starting lineup on a regular basis, especially with the lack of contribution to the side from Dusan Tadic and Nathan Redmond. However, scoring THAT goal against West Brom towards the end of October acted as a catalyst for the winger getting more game time.

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Yet, the Moroccan remains frustrating to fans as he remains inconsistent and you can’t really say that he’s taken his chance fully.

Still a regular in the side at the moment, Boufal needs to work on his end product and involve himself in more goals, whether he’s setting them up or popping them in.

He’s one of our best players without a doubt and has flawless quality, but needs to start chipping in a bit more, otherwise he’s a bit of a show pony who doesn’t actually do a lot!