Southampton fans were in uproar last January, after the club harshly sacked Nigel Adkins. The Saints had a vision of where they wanted to take the team and although a risk had to be taken, it has certainly paid off. Only three seasons ago, Southampton sat in League 1. Today they're three points off the top of the Premier League. It's fair to say no one could have predicted the rise and rise of Southampton, except maybe the hierarchy inside the club themselves.Huge credit has to be given to Nigel Adkins. Consecutive promotions speaks for itself, and although I feel Adkins deserved the opportunity to keep his team in the Premier League, it cannot be denied that bringing in Mauricio Pochettino was nothing short of genius. Pochettino revolutionised the playing style at Southampton and he was able to do this with the players he had. This has nothing to do with talent, it's about working hard as a team. You could see from the first game, they were quick out of the blocks. They put pressure on their opponents and played a higher defensive line making the opponent realise that they weren't in for an easy game. It's all about building from the back and intimidating and unsettling the opponent. Pochettino emphasises the importance of possession and prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation which is quickly becoming the most common formation in the Premier League.
Southampton's manager hadn't made any signings but managed to get the best out of what he had and finishing 14th at the end of the season proved that. The work Southampton put in off the ball is what made the difference, and eventually you get your rewards on the ball. The summer of 2013 meant the transfer window was open and Pochettino could bring in some players with more quality in hope of taking the club further forward. He spent well, signing two key players who have become very important. Dejan Lovren arrived from Roma for £8.5 million and has been solid in their back four. Southampton have one of the best defensive records in Europe having only conceded five goals in the league this season. The next signing was Victor Wanyama from Celtic for £12.5 million. Another player with European experience who quickly established a great understanding with his midfield partner Schneiderlin. The Saints also signed the much needed back up striker Dani Osvaldo for £15 million. After paying that price he should be playing regularly in the first team but Rickie Lambert, the classic English centre forward has prevented that from happening.
Southampton are flying at the moment. Their hard work is paying off and I believe they'll be playing in Europe next season because they have the quality and the work rate. Another great feature of Pochettino is his faith shown in young English talent such as Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez. Their form has been rewarded with call-ups to England and are surely dreaming of playing at the world cup. Everything is looking bright for Southampton, my only concern is they haven't played many of the big clubs this season. They could be exposed by the super quality that some of those teams posses. Whatever the outcome, the progress from Southampton has been immense and it's exciting to see where they'll finish come May.
