Three games, three losses. Going on two out of three superb performances and piggy-backing off their back to back promotions, Southampton must surely be on the cusp of their first Premier League win.
After the seven year absence, Saints, feeling at home and back where they belong in the world’s greatest league, desperately need to get some points on the board but matches away to Arsenal on the 15th and at home to Aston Villa on the 22nd September are no easy tasks.
Undoubtedly Adkins’ side are kicking themselves over the 90th minute Van Persie header which denied them their season’s first points and caused another home defeat. ‘It’s a situation we’ve got to deal with’, revealed calm Adkins, ‘we’ll pick ourselves up and get ready for the next one’. Praise goes to youngsters Schneiderlin and Ward-Prowse’s creativity against Manchester United, they demonstrated excellent passing football with with a winning mentality.
However, it is also such young talent that could be the thorn in Southampton’s prickly side; the collective lack of top-level experience could hinder their campaign, especially when you compare it to the likes of 61st minute substitute Scholes who can create open-space finding the just-right pass as he has been doing the span of his career.
Yet Southampton have an arsenal of creative flair and explosive target-hitting talent waiting to be unlocked. Rickie Lambert with a 27 goal-belt from last season, headed the opener against City much to the South Coast crowd’s expectations.
Even at home with Wigan when Saints did not truly merit a win falling 2-0, there were moments of this artistic brilliance when Lallana and Hooiveld both hit the bar respectively. Likewise poster-boy Lambert’s goal 3 minutes after coming onto the pitch against Man City was reticent of Le Tissier’s glorious days.
So Saints do certainly have the quality and are continuing to invest in it, as in recent interest shown over 17 year old Christchurch’s Harry Cornick. They do have the hunger and profound desire to be taken seriously as deserved members of the Premier League contingent.
They should take real confidence from the goals already scored against the two Manchester giants as well as from their solid conquest of Stevenage in the League Cup. Against transfer-plagued Arsenal, the Solent squad should be able upset the Londoners and redeem themselves.
Bottom of the table is a dauntingly worrying sight, yet it is early days and far worse has happened to the squad than none out of three.
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