Charlie Austin looks set to have surgery on his shoulder and could be out for several months, but could this be the catalyst for a change in our attacking style.
When Claude Puel arrived at St Mary's he was appointed because the Saints board liked what he had achieved in France and knew he had the tactical nous to succeed in the Premier League, but what they really liked was that Puel was a progressive coach who was not afraid of evolving th style of play of his sides.
On the continent the successful teams of late have stopped playing with a big central striker, they play with an attacking three which relys on speed guile and skill rather than lumping the ball into the box and trying to get the big man on the end of it.
The style uses wide attacking players, but not wingers as such, it s the job of the full backs to get into the space created behind the attacking three with the central trio covering behind them.
However Puel's hopes of doing this have been hampered by not only injury but on the players he has inherited.
Austin is not the type of player Puel would normally have in his side and Nathan Redmond was signed before the Frenchman arrived and was bought to play in Ronald Koeman's side, a line up that played in a different way to Puel's. Having signed him they have tried to convert him to Puel's style, it has had it's moments and may yet still work.
Charlie Austin is a proven goalscorer and has not let down Saints this season, but he had to be played initially as others who Puel would normally consider more suited to the role where injured, with Austin scoring it was hard for Puel to drop him, especially as when he did in the Europa League games, the team failed to deliver.
But with Austin now being touted as being out till February at least Puel may be able to utilise others and get his attacking trio playing more in a way he would ultimately like to see and less on being dependent on Charlie Austin's goals.
Puel wants attackers with mobility and now without Austin he has five options for the three positions, Boufal, Tadic, Redmond and then Rodriguez and Long.
It is the latter two who could be crucial in Puel being able to play in the style he wants all of the former three are more creative than finishers in terms of in front of goal, but Long and Rodriguez have proven track records and unlike Austin they are mobile and able to offer outlets.
The game against Middlesbrough saw Jay Rodriguez complete 90 minutes for the first time in almost three years and that was no coincidence, Puel knows he has to utilise J Rod at least until January when he can review the situation and consider whether he has to buy.
What the player needs is game time and goals, strikers thrive on confidence and although there are some who thrive from coming off the bench and making things happen, most need to be playing regularly to keep their form, the odd ten minutes here and there was not helping Rodriguez and nor for that matter was the fact that when he played he was playing in a team that was still trying to find its feet as essentially two separate teams are having to adapt to the style.
Now Rodriguez will get that game time and more importantly that match sharpness that will hopefully see him find the form that earned hi an England cap three years ago.
We know he can score goals it is just a case of him getting that confidence back in his game and if he does then it could be a very good end to the year for both him and Saints.
Shane Long has been out with injury, but he too is more suited to the way that Puel wants to play than Austin, we know what the Irishman can do and now with more opportunity he can hopefully get back to the form that saw him score as many goals as either Sadio Mane or Graziano Pelle last season, people forget that when they bemoan our lack of goalscorers at the club.
So I expect to see a subtle change in the way we play over the coming weeks, it will be more tailored to the way that Claude Puel wants to set out his side and less towards accommodating Charlie Austin, don't get me wrong this isn't a criticism of Austin, I like him and his style, but the situation is that ultimately he doesn't fit the way that Puel is steering the direction of our playing style.