Southampton 2017/18 season review: Ryan Bertrand
By Marc Walker
2017/18 saw a fairly off-colour Ryan Bertrand for much of the season, but he had returned to somewhere near his best by the end of the campaign.
The summer of 2017 had seen him linked with moves away from Southampton, with Manchester City in particular said to have registered an interest.
This seemed to affect him and, combined with a defensive style of play under Mauricio Pellegrino, led to a disappointing spell of form from the 28-year-old.
He was given the captains armband in January, and benefited from Mark Hughes coming in as manager as he was somewhat let off the leash and could drive forward more than he had been.
The England international made 40 appearances in 2017/18; six more than he managed in the previous campaign that included Europa League football for Southampton.
Next: Southampton 2017/18 season review: Sofiane Boufal
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However, his ability to influence attacks was clearly affected. He contributed four assists compared to his tally of three goals and five assists under Claude Puel’s management.
When he did manage to create for the Saints forward line, it was often impressive viewing. A brilliant cross to setup Charlie Austin’s first goal against Everton in November showed great technique.
Then in one of the most important games of the season against his old club Chelsea in April, his lung-bursting run was followed by a perfect cutback for Dusan Tadic to score. Unfortunately it would all be for nothing though as Saints squandered their two-goal lead late on.
His stats also highlighted an unremarkable year. He recorded a pass success rate of 78.9% and 1.4 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.7 clearances per game.
Surprisingly, he posted some positive attacking stats despite it seeming his influence on the pitch was limited. 1 key pass per game was the fourth highest in the Saints squad and four assists was amongst the highest number recorded in the team too.
On the international front, Bertrand made five England appearances and contributed to three wins and two draws for Gareth Southgate’s side. However, he had dropped out of the squad by the international break of in March.
This also led to him not being picked for the World Cup in Russia this summer, with Tottenham’s Danny Rose and Manchester United’s Ashley Young being preferred.
Despite a fairly average campaign for the Left-Back, Bertrand could feel unlucky to be left out with Rose not playing consistently and Young not naturally a defender.
Rumours of a move away for Bertrand are likely to rumble on during this summer. His recent form hasn’t been too special, but there can be no arguing that he could be a vital part of the team again next season if Southampton can hold onto him.