Last season there was a lot of talk about Champions league qualification but ultimately we fell far short, but here we look at why we might just be able to do it this time out.
Saints went into this International break sitting proudly in 2nd with 25 points on the board, that sounds brilliant and indeed it is, but as it stands it isnn't that much better than at the same period last year when after the same 11 games we had 22 points and were 3rd.
Ostentatiously there doesn't seem a lot of difference between then and now, but the reality is far different for several reasons and that being the case we might just cause perhaps the biggest upset in Premier league history.
The first reason is the squad and manager, last year we were managed by a coach who had one plan and could not or would devaite from that unless forced to by injury, this meant that we never came from behind to win a game, the players played to their ability and that was that, we mainly beat the sides at the bottom at the table and results got progressively worse as we played sides higher up the table, although we were only 3 points worse off last year from the same number of games, move forward 6 games and we still only had 24 points, not as many as we have now.
We are better prepared to go into a tough run of games, the squad is stronger and we have options in all positions and more to the point we have a manager who can use that squad to the best of its ability, last season Pochettino just put out a team and told it how to play, if it worked fine, if it didn't then nothing would change, in effect Pochettino's job on a Saturday virtually ended once the team had left the dressing room.
Secondly is the League table itself, a look at last years table shows that although Saints were third all of the usual suspects were not far away, Arsenal & Liverpool were ahead of us, Chelsea were a point behind, Man Utd, Everton & Spurs 2 points and eventual winners Man City 3 points, indeed the top eight a year ago was exactly the same as it would finish, albeit in a different story.
The message is simple, last year everyone was on a fairly even keel, this year we are significantly ahead of those clubs who harbour the same aspirations of challenging for that Champions league qualifying spot.
But perhaps the biggest reason why we can kick on is money, last season we spent £36 million in the close season, the biggest signing Osvaldo was a complete waste of time come the second half of the season and the problem was there wasn't anymore money in the kitty for January, we had to make do with what we had and once the injuries and suspensions kicked in a thin squad got even thinner.
This year it could be different, in the summer we took in something in the region of £95 million pounds and so far we have spent £57 million plus potentially another £17 million should we make the signing of Alderweireld and Bertrand permanent, this of course means that we have £21 million left in the kitty.
But we could have more than that, as transfer sales has funded all of our incoming purchases we have not had to touch any of the £80 million we received from the Premier League & TV rights etc, put bluntly we possibly have more spending power in January than any of our rivals, unlike last year we have the option of boosting our squad.
This perhaps more than anything is what could give us the strength in depth to keep our rivals at bay when combined with the fact that so many of them are a long way behind.
If im realistic I don't expect us to overhaul Chelsea and I think that Manchester City and Arsenal do have a little more strength in depth to jump above us, although in the case of the latter it is a big gap to make up ie 8 points, with respect to Swansea and West ham we have a better squad and the spending power.
So that 4th place is very much up for grabs if we can keep Man Utd, Spurs, Liverpool & Everton at bay, given that the first club is 9 points behind us and the other three 11, the opportunity is very much there.
So the key to the season is very much the next six games, if we get 10 points or more out of them the impetus will be very much in our favour, it is important to win the two winnable away games at Villa & Burnley, if we do that and we can get four points out of the games against United and Everton at home then anything we get out of the other two is a bonus, if the above scenario was to happen then we would go into the Xmas period in a very good position. probably still second almost certainly 3rd.
That would encourage the board to spend in January to bolster our second half of the season.
So the signs are there that Saints could produce the biggest shock in Premier history and get in the Champions League and don't discount the failings of others in the equation, they have a big gap to make up that they didn't have to last season , every week we win games and keep moving forward makes the task of United, Spurs, Liverpool & Everton that much harder and if we can keep them at bay then 4th place is very very achievable