One thing Saints have badly missed in the opening weeks of the season is the pace of Ryan Bertrand.
This is not an article intending in any way to criticise the performance of Matt Targett as he has strove to deputise for Ryan Bertrand, there are some Saints supporters who have got on Targett's back a little but I am not one of them.
On the contary I feel that Targett has done a decent job at a difficult time and it's unfair to criticise him for the failings of the back four so far this season, after all not only is he only 19, but prior to this season he had only started 3 Premier League games and one of those had seen him stretchered off after barely 25 minutes in the victory at QPR last season.
His experience was limited and I think some failed to realise that and cut him some slack, they also failed to realise that he is a different type of full back to Bertrand, whereas the former Chelsea man uses his pace to maraud up the line, Targett is a more traditional style of full back who uses the ball and uses it wisely in the main, yes he has had his oments, but that can be put down to age and inexperience and if we are not careful the boo boys in our crowd could ruin a player with a lot of potential.
But having said this what Saints have missed has been pace from both full backs both in an attacking sense as well as defensively, this pace got us out of trouble a lot last season, but suddenly this we found ourselves without it on either flank.
This was exposed both at Newcastle on the second goal and the first against Everton, both were almost identical and you have the feeling that the pace of Bertrand would have prevented both.
So the sooner that he is fit the better, I think that in the last two League games the defence has regained its composure as shown in two clean sheets, but it does lack pace, the introduction of Virgil Van Dyke will help, certainly he will hopefully be faster than Yoshida and indeed Fonte, but it will be the return of Bertrand that will offer real flare t the team not just in attack but in getting us out of trouble at the back.
It would be nice to get an update from the club as to when he is expected to return, so far we only have the original guesstimate back in July that he would miss the opening weeks of the season, by the time we play again at West Brom the season will be a month old, it would b nice to see a sign that a return is at least on the cards by then.