Lewis Dobbin's first goal for Southampton turned out to be the winner in a pulsating match at West Ham last Saturday. Despite an excellent pre-season, Dobbin has struggled to break into Tonda Eckert's plans until very recently.
But a solid showing against Norwich City at Carrow Road, followed by a goal at the London Stadium, leaves the manager with somewhat of a dilemma ahead of QPR's visit to St Mary's on Saturday.
Cyle Larin is expected to be fit again, and with seven goals to his name already this season, he will expect to start.
The goal and the gap it filled
After Dobbin's 35th-minute strike, he continued to look dangerous on the counter, striking the outside of the post as West Ham tried in vain to claw their way back into the match.
Eckert called it a proper team performance. For Dobbin the afternoon ended with a booking in the 78th minute and a substitution in the 89th, when Divin Mubama replaced him.
The goal ends a long wait. Saints Marching said it justified his start.
Who plays on Saturday?
Larin sets the standard. He has seven goals this season, more than twice as many as Finn Azaz and Kuryu Matsuki, who have three each, and Eckert said he was "quite positive" that Larin and Flynn Downes would be fit for QPR.
Saints Marching reported recurring injury issues for Larin, so the word to watch is "positive", not "certain".
Larin should start if he is fit enough. At home, Southampton are a powerhouse, and the Brampton Bagsman is a huge part of their identity at St Mary's.
The harder question is what that means for Dobbin. FotMob has his expected goals per 90 minutes at 0.56, level with Larin's, which says he gets the chances. He just had not finished them until Saturday.
Does Eckert drop a player who has scored? Not necessarily.
Matsuki and Azaz both played a part in London, and neither is about to make way for Dobbin.
Eckert has a third option
Mubama is the third option and the least used. His eight-minute cameo gave him five touches, and he has 145 minutes this season with no starts. Eckert hasn't picked him for good reason. Against Lincoln, the ball didn't stick. Mubama hasn't developed that aspect of his game yet.
The simplest plan for QPR is to name Larin, keep Dobbin on the bench as the player who has earned a role, and hold Mubama back for a late change. If Larin fails a late test, Dobbin starts again and nobody will argue.
For Dobbin, that is not a demotion. Eckert has a striker who finally scored, a better one returning, and a squad that is sixth despite a four-point deduction. Choosing between them on Saturday is a good problem for the German to have.
QPR have the joint-best defence in the league, so whoever starts up to will have their work cut out on Saturday.
Add us as a preferred source on Google