Bournemouth vs. Southampton: Opposition threat – 20/10/18

Joshua King 

Callum Wilson partner at the top of the pitch is Norwegian International Josh King. So far this season, King has played a part in five goals, assisting one, and notching four for himself. Although one of these have only come from open play – with King topping the Premier League scoring charts in terms of Penalty kicks with three, he has lots of different assists that will put the Southampton defence under immense pressure.

Despite having the pace to run at players and cause problems in that sense, with a couple of his goals coming from that way last season (combined with his close control dribbling ability) he is much more of a poacher how creeps round at the back post at the last minute.

King, who usually plays on the left with Wilson playing on the right as the two central strikers, fits the mould of how to get first to the ball when in the Southampton penalty area. As he plays as the left sided striker, he plays in the area between the Saints right centre back and right back. This sort of area is where teams coming up against the Saints have their most luck with the right centre back usually losing concentration of their man through watching the ball – leaving Cedric having to make up the ground and attempt to challenge whoever that free man is – usually unsuccessfully due to his lack of height and physicality.

Saints players themselves know a lot about Josh King, with the striker scoring at St.Marys at the back end of last season – with his typical back post finish. Even though the goal came from a corner, the finish was very similar.

The man who was marking King was ball watching so when he peeled off his man at the back post no one went with him after the knock on so had a lot of free space within Southampton’s own six-yard box to volley the ball into the roof of the net.