Sporting Life caught up with Soccer Saturday pundit and club legend Matt Le Tissier about all things Southampton.
How would you rate Southampton’s season as a whole?
If you look at the campaign on the whole, as opposed to looking at it in thirds like you could do with Southampton, then it has been pretty good.
If you said 11th place to any Southampton fan at the start of the season, they would have said it would have been a decent and reasonable season.
I think in the first third, there seemed to be a bit of slackness about it all. There was no intensity in the play and that could have been down to loads of factors - and confidence comes into it a lot too.
I think the amount of players that are on top form comes into it, when you are a squad like Southampton. If there are a few struggling for form, it makes a big difference. Bigger squads and teams can get away with that and it was really hard for Southampton during that first couple of months.
The turning point was the game against Leicester, which jolted everyone into a sense of reality, and gave them the kick up the backside that they needed, and both the players and manager came back stronger.
That was the big thing for me, that they were strong in the boardroom and did not take a knee-jerk reaction. I was pleased with Martin Semmens and the board for sticking by Ralph Hasenhuttl and believing in him.
They could see that he is a decent manager but sometimes these freaky things happen in football. It was a wet, windy night, and Southampton went a man down and a goal down early on, and sometimes these things do happen.
The two results against Manchester City in the subsequent weeks was what turned it around. They lost both those games (one in the Carabao Cup) but the performances were there.
To do that after the drubbing of Leicester was great - I was thinking that if we kept it down to four of five I would be happy, but we even took the lead in the Premier League game and it was a real good effort. This gave the players belief back that they could compete against these teams.
Southampton played superbly to beat Man City at St Mary’s in June, which was a great way to end the campaign. They came back strong after the lockdown, but the best victory of season, although the win at Leicester was good, was beating Chelsea over the Christmas period. It was a huge boost for the club and gave the players belief to have the run-in that they had.
That is all down to the manager to instil belief in his players. One of the best periods of my career was when my manager Alan Ball had such faith and confidence in my ability and it boosted my own. It does really work like that.
Which three players have impressed you the most?
There are a few this season. Danny Ings has had a fabulous season and is a decent footballer.
I would also include in that the two centre backs. If you had said that Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek would have been the centre-back partners they have been, I would have questioned it...really?! They have both stepped up to plate as a centre-back pairing.
Kyle Walker-Peters has done an incredible job at right back coming in there. James Ward-Prowse has been really consistent as ever, and Stuart Armstrong does not often get a mention but he has showed what he is capable of doing in the second half of the season, and that he can have an influence on football matches. He has showed that through his quality and work rate.
Oriol Romeu has come in and done a decent job since the break, particularly in place of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. I was really pleased for Che Adams who needed a lift, and he certainly got that with his goal against Man City. Hopefully now he can can kick on.
Where would you look to improve for next season?
Next season, the ambition has to be aimed towards a top-half finish. The way we finished this season, and I don’t like getting my hopes up, you would think it is a realistic target for us, but we will need to strengthen in certain departments.
We would need a back-up for Walker-Peters - and if we can sign him permanently it would be great.
We are short for depth in the centre-back areas, and I don’t think Jannik Vestergaard has lived up to his reputation since coming, so we may need one or two centre backs.
Hojbjerg looks like he will go, and it does depend on how Hasenhuttl values his midfielders coming through.
Will Smallbone is coming through the academy, so he will be in and out of the side for a while I would imagine, so an experienced head to bolster the side could pay off too.
I would hope Southampton keep hold of Ryan Bertrand, with Jake Vokins playing under him, so it does look promising on the whole.
Where it has been a struggle is the goalkeeper. Angus Gunn started, he was dropped after his confidence took a hit, Alex McCarthy came in and did well but he made basic mistakes which cost us goals. Fraser Forster may have to go too, a player is on also big wages at the moment.
SOUTHAMPTON SEASON VERDICT: 8/10
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