Direct but measured vertical play
Interestingly, Saints have attempted the lowest amount of crosses of any Premier League team so far this season.
This could be due to having strikers not renowned for their aerial ability but does also tell us a lot about how they look to play during games.
Winning the ball back quickly is crucial and then Ralph Hasenhuttl sets his team up to spring attacks of their own using direct passing into the final third or over the opposition defence – fbref.com confirm Saints have played the most passes off the floor of any team in the top-flight this campaign.
This is not long ball football but is, instead, measured play that sees Saints getting the ball into areas where their front four can be dangerous – their currently supreme finishing and pressing then coming to full fruition.
Instead of playing into wide areas for crosses, they look to play through the opposing defence and get as many players into central areas to create and score as they can.