Southampton: Arsene Wenger heaps praise on Saints “artist” after goal

Southampton forward Takumi Minamino netted his second goal for the club on Saturday in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

It was the Japan international’s composure in the 33rd minute was most notable as he latched onto Nathan Redmond’s pass and rolled Saints calmly into a crucial lead.

During the game, the Liverpool loanee also received strong praise from former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who said (speaking on beIN SPORTS coverage of the match):

"“I liked [the goal] very much because Redmond gave a great ball to Minamino, but what is very interesting for the strikers to watch is the number of times Minamino lifts his head to see where the keeper is.“I think you see twice clearly that he lifts his head and in a composure situation, he is composed despite them being under huge pressure, Southampton. This guy is an artist in his mind.”"

There is no doubt that Minamino has added something to his new side in the short time he has been at St Mary’s.

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He has scored two brilliantly-taken goals so far and Ralph Hasenhuttl will be hoping that his new signing can contribute with plenty more between now and the end of the season.

In his short time at Liverpool, he found first-team minutes hard to come by with significant, world-class opposition in front of him in the pecking order.

A loan spell was exactly what he needed for that reason and Saints certainly looks to be a great fit for him – especially when you take previous clubs and previous styles of football into account.

Between 2015 and 2020, Minamino was with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria and learnt to play the pressing style that utilised through the Red Bull system of clubs across the world.

He also played under managers that have a similar footballing philosophy to Ralph Hasenhuttl in Marco Rose and Jesse Marsch. Marsch even uses the same 4-2-2-2 formation that Hasenhuttl is trying to perfect at St Mary’s.

Minamino’s record in Austria showed that he is a player built for this sort of setup.

199 games for RB Salzburg saw him scored 64 goals and make 44 assists – fantastic numbers that saw him, on average, score or create more than one goal in each game.

Some talk has already been made about Saints making a permanent move for Minamino in the summer and they should certainly think about it if he continues his current form.