Saints supporters who judge Graziano Pelle on whether he is scoring or not are not taking into account his changing role within the side.

There are some Saints supporters who are starting to get on the back of Graziano Pelle, in their eyes his lack of goals since Xmas is a sign that he is a flash in the pan and not much of a player.

However they could not be further from the truth and Pelle is an even more crucial part of the way Saints play than he was in the first half of the season.

In that first half, Saints played differently from the way they do now, back then it was very much about using wide men and Pelle was in the vanguard of the side, his job was more of a traditional centre forward to get on the end of crosses and score goals, this he did very well, however there was one drawback in the fact that Saints did not really have any genuine wingers, Mane was struggling in that position and Dusan Tadic although playing well and creating could not be described as a flying winger, likewise Shane Long, he is adaptable but again not really a true winger.

Ronald Koeman was aware of this and as we struggled in December he started to revamp the side using Mane in a more free role and looking to use Pelle a lot deeper than before.

This worked and worked well, rather than bombing into the box and getting on the end of crosses Pelle's role now is more about linking up play and bringing others into the action rather than just coring goals.

A good example of the way Saints look to play now was illustrated by the first goal at Newcastle, the ball was played to Pelle who came to meet it and chested it down to the central midfield, from there it was a quick through ball to utilise the pace of Elia who ra through and scored.

Now Pelle would not register an assist on this, but he was pivotal in that goal being scored, his job now is about winning the ball deep and laying it off and he is playing this role well.

The problem is that some supporters only view his form by whether he is scoring goals or not and although it would be nice if he had notched a goal or two in many respects this is no longer his primary job in the team.

Of course we do need to change from time to time and if there has been a problem in recent weeks its been that we havent been able to change, but this is more down to what we have available than any other reason, with Shane Long injured and Mane away in the African Cup Of Nations we have been short on options.

Hopefully with Mane back and Long well on the road to recovery this will change because there is undoubtably a need for Pelle to change his role from provider to scorer as was shown against West Ham and Swansea were both of those teams sat deep and didnt give us any room to use our pace, on these occasions we need a little more guile, the return of Long and perhaps the arrival of Djuricic will hopefully provide that.

The style of Saints has evolved over the course of the season and we are a lot more about playing to a system now rather than attack as the first form of defence as we were earlier in the season, this has worked well in the last two months since we changed our style and in many respects reminds me of the side who finished second in 83/84 in we are a lot more tight and clinical these days.

So the message is simple, Graziano Pelle is still playing well, don't judge him on goals scored but on what he brings to the team overall, he is vital to our style of play.

Photo: Action Images

welhamdowed added 10:55 - Feb 17 I feel Pelle needs a rest, although he's playing OK even with his lack of goals. He made some poor decisions during the West ham game and snatched at a chance or two showing the lack of goals is getting to him. If we had a striker on the bench I expect he'd be dropped. But what options do we have? I'm hoping he gets a goal soon to get his mojo back. COYR
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mgprobert added 11:04 - Feb 17 Given the results maybe we should go back to those early season tactics? ...but I take your point and I still think Pelle is a key part of the team. I'd love him to score a few more though - good for confidence, not to mention the results
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Zambucco added 14:37 - Feb 17 I didn't bother reading all of this article, because I completely disagree with it. If Pelle was bought because of his goals, then it's goals I want, simple. It's all very well bringing in other players if they are scoring, sadly they're not. Play him to his strengths or not at all. Very rare I disagree with you Nick.
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Mel_Kenny added 15:29 - Feb 17 I'd say he'll be back to scoring goals after this little break. He's probably not used to the hectic schedule of the Premier League
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smiffdub added 17:56 - Feb 17 I disagree for different reasons than @Zambucco. It's true Pelle seems to be being deployed deeper, but I don't agree he is playing that role well at all. His lay-offs and passing have been woeful for the last few games. Worse, once he's played the ball he becomes immobile and essentially takes himself out of every move. Watch him carefully and you'll see the hesitation and the lack of ideas once he's he's played the ball. It's just common sense to say that we need cover for him but haven't got it; the problem as I see it is what to do instead?

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Sango123 added 02:52 - Feb 18 I have to disagree. He is definitely not on form. I feel he looks jaded. If we had another centre forward, i think he would be given some rest. Obviously we do not have other options, so hopefully the 2 weeks break from the last match will spark him back into form. Our squad definitely looks short on numbers in certain positions
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schatfield added 08:52 - Feb 18 100% dis.a.gree.....not on form and needs a rest badly.
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tiptop added 10:17 - Feb 18 All points are valid to a point for me. He is doing a slightly different job allowing the other forwards to wonder infield and beyond him, but he is a striker and needs to score goals to feel important and get his confidence up. As it stands he does look like he needs a break, either in front of goal - or on the bench.
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BlackRod added 13:04 - Feb 18 I can see that he is playing a different role. The problem is that sometimes he will take down a promising ball and back-heel or flick it to one side and there's no-one there. Either he isn't looking or others in the team aren't following up as they do in training. This sort of thing looks fabulous if it results in a goal or ludicrous if all it amounts to is giving the ball to the opposition.

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Number_58 added 13:06 - Feb 18 Clearly needs a rest, but if he has to play he needs someone alongside him to share the workload. And some decent crosses for a change might help. Incidentally, if it was Lambert Nick would have been questioning his place in the team weeks ago.
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aceofthebase added 07:51 - Feb 19 Pelle has done us proud this season but results have dropped off. He is playing deeper and doing some good and some useless flicks and funny bits but with the ball he is motionless. I think our defence has coped well without Toby and that he is the person best suited to this deeper role. Toby also has a good football brain, he is an active player and is not averse to some shots from outside the penalty area. Toby was playing a midfield position when injured and was excellent. Perhaps with two or three good strikers like Mane and Elia and Long the goals will come, they just need someone to provide those fast incisive passes.

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