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Saints Now Have The Firepower Available Lets Use It !

After seemingly scoring for fun in the first half of the season Saints have struggled recently, but they have all the options they need now to hand.

The last six games have seen only 4 goals scored with blanks in the last three home games, but this drama need not turn into a crisis as Saints now have a lot of striking options to end this drought.

Part of the problem has been that Saints have changed the way that they have played over the course of the season, in the early part of it they played a more fluid game out of necessity as Ronald Koeman worked on building his team and getting it to play in the way he wanted.

The problems started though in December as the squad struggled with injury and then the likes of Mane away on International duty and as we mixed and matched we started to play a more rigid formation that involved Pelle dropping a lot deeper winning the ball and laying it off to the midfield to try and find Elia on the break.

Another issue was that the core of the team was missing, Alderweireld at the back, Schneiderlin and Wanyama in the centre, whilst not being attacking players their solid displays meant we could dominate midfields and have more time on the ball for the likes of Tadic to work the ball forward, without them it was far harder work for Steven Davis and James Ward Prowse who suddenly had to concentrate on sitting deeper rather than creating and getting it forward quickly, therefore as mentioned Koeman had to adopt the tactics to suit.

This worked fine in some games but was not always the answer but with the absence of Mane and the injury to Shane Long it was a case of the only real option available.

This of course didn't help Pelle as he was no longer the focal point of Saints scoring opportunities, Pelle's role was now more focused in the build up rather than getting on the end of crosses.


The injury to Shane long was a big blow, often underestimated by some fans, he was great for Ronald Koeman in the fact that his playing style gave the manager options to change things and Long's sheer pace over 20 yards created panic in defences, it is no coincidence that Saints problems in hitting the back of the net started when Long was injured against Crystal Palace.

Since that game as mentioned we have lacked variety up front and the ability to change and confuse the opposition and that is reflected in the solitary goal scored in the four games since then.

Now though Long is back and we have the opportunity to start firing on all cylinders again, one thing we do not lack is options, in Pelle, Mane, Long Djuricic and Elia we have more than enough firepower to end the drought and certainly a lot of variety.

There are those who say that Pelle needs a break, they do have a point, not because he is particularly out of form, just that he has had to work hard without getting goals and that is what strikers thrive on and indeed what leads some fans to think a striker is playing badly if he is not scoring.

Now we have the chance to start playing as we did before the last six games have been disappointing but far from a disaster, now we have to go on another winning run starting with West Brom on Saturday, get Pelle into goalscoring opportunities more and lets use Mane to the best of his ability again as we did over the Xmas and New Year period, if we do that then there is no reason that we should not get back to winning ways.

We are in the position we are for good reason and that is we have a good squad, good teams don't become bad ones overnight there is nothing wrong that a couple of good wins won't put right.

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