So the friendlies are winding down in Germany. The hard part starts soon, when the Championship gets going.
Southampton have a promotion to chase, and these five carry the biggest questions.
1. Damion Downs
He cost £7m and gave Southampton nothing in year one. That is a lot to make up.
Downs went goalless across his debut season, then a January loan to Hamburg fell flat too. The doubts were fair.
His winner in Germany was a start, though. Prove it holds up and Eckert has a cheap option up top, but fade again and the write-offs win.
Downs has a minor back injury to contend with.
2. Cameron Archer
Two years and £15m in, it still hasn't clicked. Archer managed just four goals and three assists last season.
FotMob rated him 6.43 across the campaign, per his FotMob profile. West Brom are sniffing around at a cut price, although Saints Marching reckons the club could live to regret letting him go.
Prove it under Eckert and the doubts fade. Drift again and the exit door stays open.
3. Lewis Dobbin
Ten million or so is a lot for a name most fans didn't know in June. Lewis Dobbin has to show that his Preston form travels.
He scored on his debut at Eastleigh and bagged another against SC Paderborn 07 on Wednesday, so the early signs are good. The billing is bigger than back-up, though.
Eckert framed him as a perfect competitor for Finn Azaz. Now he has to actually be one
4. Finn Azaz
Last season's creative heartbeat is stuck in the treatment room, because Azaz picked up a shin injury and missed the Germany trip. He is still working his way back at Staplewood.
That is a worry, because eleven goals from midfield do not replace themselves. He needs to get fit, then rediscover that form fast.
There is a nudge behind him now, too. Lewis Dobbin has arrived to share the load, so Azaz has to remind everyone whose creative shirt this is.
5. Jack Stephens
Cast your mind back to the autumn. Stephens was captaining a side stuck near the bottom under Will Still.
The scrutiny on the skipper was heavy, since Southampton sat 21st before Eckert sparked the turnaround. That kind of spell can weigh heavily on a captain who admits he overthinks things.
He is a better footballer than he backs himself to be. Lead well from the front and a young dressing room follows, but let doubt creep in and it spreads.
Five different players share one task before Watford. Each has a doubt to answer, whether it is fitness, form, a fee or a future.
Southampton start the season with points already docked, so a slow start is not an option.
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