Southampton are back and ready to improve on what was an impressive 2014-15 campaign. Despite a mass exodus of talent, the Saints still managed to place seventh in the Barclays Premier League standings last season. With one season already in the books, can manager Ronald Koeman pull any more surprises in his second year with Southampton? Read on as we take a look as the Saints go marching into the 2015-16 season.
Check out the landscape of the upcoming Premier League season. Head on over to our complete previews for Everton and Swansea.
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Southampton 2015-2016 Premier League Preview
Overview
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Many predicted Southampton to fall from grace last season with the departure of manager Maruicio Pachettino, and players Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Calum Chambers. Those detractors really looked foolish after the Saints stormed to a seventh-place finish in the 2014-15 season.
Now manager Ronald Koeman looks for another successful run for his Southampton side with an opportunistic offense and a suffocating defense to boot. The Saints should be able to hang with the top dogs of the Premier League in the season to come especially with a deadly, up-and-coming striker leading the way.
Southampton are +20,000 to win the 2015-16 season of the Barclays Premier League.
Key Player – Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane turned plenty of heads last year as he impressed with 10 goals and three assists in his Barclays Premier League debut. Included in those 10 goals was a two-minute-55 second hat-trick against Aston Villa, the fastest in the Premier League era. He was also impressive before entering St. Mary’s scoring 31 goals in 61 games for Red Bull Salzburg in Austria.
Mane figures to be one of Southampton’s centrepieces on the attack especially with Graciano Pelle continuing to age. The Senegalese youngster has a handful of playmakers around him that could make him shine. Dusan Tadic (seven assists), Shane Long (five assists) and James Ward-Prowse (six assists) were all excellent in setting up scoring opportunities from midfield last season.
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Key Game – at Manchester City, November 28
Out of the top teams in the Premier League, this match at Manchester City is the most crucial for the Saints. Southampton were swept, 2-0, by the 2013-14 champions Man City last season. If Southampton were to break out as a top-flight contender in the Premier League as well as in the rest of Europe (Europa League and Champions League), they’ll need a signature win against one of the past seasons’ winners.
A big win at the Etihad on November 28 could also propel Southampton to explode in the second half of the season. A Saints side brimming with momentum should be difficult to stop in the last few months of the 2015-16 Premier League season.
Best Case/ Worst Case
Best Case
Mane continues to improve to give Southampton a deadly striker alongside Graciano Pelle as Southampton improve on their successful 2014-15 campaign. Koeman leads his Saints to the Champions League, albeit in the playoff round with a fourth-place finish in the Premier League.
Worst Case
Southampton fail to carry over their success. They crash out of the top 10 and face relegation near the end of the season.
