Southampton vs West Brom: A tactical and statistical review of Saints’ win

Romeu steps up again to prove his worth

Saints’ pursuit of another midfielder in this transfer window has been well documented and Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that Ibrahima Diallo has signed to provide another option.

When the Frenchman is up to speed, it is likely that he will be competing with Oriol Romeu for a start berth, but the Spaniard certainly has not done his chances any harm in the last two games.

At Burnley, Romeu played a huge role in keeping possession and seeing out a vital win for Saints by controlling the play. Against West Brom, he also displayed some extra traits to impress.

In all, he had 85 touches of the ball and made 68 passes. His importance defensively was also emphasised by five successful tackles, three interceptions and two blocks (via whoscored.com).

He normally does just this dirty work for Saints and not much else – going under the radar somewhat despite his importance.

However, there was a special moment for him in attack this time around when he burst into the box and met a dinked Stuart Armstrong cross with the sweetest of volleys, showing technique that some of the game’s greats would be proud of.

With Diallo coming in, Romeu will be unlucky to eventually drop out but Ralph Hasenhuttl will know he has an ultra-reliable player waiting in the wings for a chance once again.