Telegraph Article: just how good are Premier League's 'Barcelona'?

I'm utterly sick to death with the media bias towards the big clubs, they really do hate us. Look at them doing their best to destabilise us with, errrm, praise. Disgraceful.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/11260292/Southampton-face-Man-City-Arsenal-and-Man-Utd-next-but-just-how-good-are-Premier-Leagues-Barcelona.html

It is the equation that defies football logic. How does a club have the sixth best defence in the Premier League, sell £66 million worth of talent from their potential back four, recruit two loan signings and now have a goals-against record that is the best in England and behind only Bayern Munich and Juventus in Europe?

It has been easy this season to marvel at Southampton's astute attacking additions of Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic but the biggest difference is being made in defence. The statistics are extraordinary. After 12 Premier League games, Southampton have conceded just six goals. That is almost twice as good as Chelsea, three times better than Liverpool and 17 fewer than a club like Queens Park Rangers, with whom they were supposed to be competing for mid-table respectability.

At this rate of one every two games, Southampton will finish the season having conceded only 18 goals. That would equal the legendary Arsenal back four of George Graham in 1990-91, surpass any of Sir Alex Ferguson's title winners and be the second best record in Premier League history after the miserly Chelsea team of 2004-05.

At their St Mary's home, Southampton have conceded just once all season – and that was to Charlie Austin's wonder strike for QPR. They are also yet to let in a goal in any league game this season from a header or a set-piece.

So what is happening? How are Fraser Forster, Nathaniel Clyne, Toby Alderweireld, Jose Fonte and Ryan Bertrand – combined cost £11.2 million – outperforming so much more costly rivals? Much could clearly change over the next 12 days when Southampton play Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United in consecutive matches but, when you study the statistics, the first conclusion that can be made is that it is not some freakish fluke.

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Southampton have not only conceded the fewest goals, they have collectively also made the most tackles. They have restricted their opponents to the fewest shots on target and their players have made the fewest mistakes that led to a chance. Even then, Forster has the highest saves-to-shots ratio of any top-flight goalkeeper.

Last season Southampton also had the fewest soft-tissue injuries in the entire Premier League and yet collectively covered more distance that any of their opponents. Similar patterns are emerging in this campaign. What we are seeing, then, is the product of a consistency in the team structure and playing style that, like the great Barcelona team of the past decade, places its focus on the two Ps. Pressing and possession.

 

Premier League 2014-15

Saves-to-shots %

Southampton

76

Swansea City

75

Leicester City

71.9

West Ham United

70.9

Hull City

70.7

Chelsea

70.3

West Bromwich Albion

69.6

Manchester United

69.4

Sunderland

69.4

Aston Villa

69.1

Manchester City

69.1

Queens Park Rangers

68.9

Burnley

66.1

Tottenham Hotspur

65.3

Newcastle United

65.1

Liverpool

64.0

Arsenal

63.4

Crystal Palace

59.6

Everton

56.8

Stoke City

53.1

Mauricio Pochettino certainly deserves part of the credit. He wanted Southampton to press high up the pitch and the habits he instilled during 17 months as manager were not something that Ronald Koeman wished to discard.

It was the idea of former chairman Nicola Cortese to make the clean-sheet performance bonus (there have been eight already this season) be shared by the whole team. The message of collective responsibility was clearly absorbed and is being retained by Koeman.

“We worked very hard in the pre-season about our organisation in the team when you don't have the ball and how you have to defend,” says Koeman, himself one of the all-time great defenders. It's team-work and it starts with the forwards and how they do pressing, how compact you play. Clean sheets make winning games.”

 

Premier League 2014-15

Tackles

Southampton

275

Sunderland

257

Tottenham Hotspur

251

Crystal Palace

251

Queens Park Rangers

248

Stoke City

247

Arsenal

243

Newcastle United

242

Manchester City

241

Hull City

240

Chelsea

240

Liverpool

236

Leicester City

235

Manchester United

230

West Ham

225

West Bromwich Albion

224

Swansea City

207

Burnley

193

Everton

189

Aston Villa

172

Alderweireld believes there are likenesses in the team ethic at Southampton to the Atlético Madrid side with whom he won La Liga and reached the Champions League final last season.

“Of course Graziano is scoring and Tadic is getting his assists, but I think the team is our strength,” Alderweireld tells Telegraph Sport. “Nobody's thinking – This is my game'. If you get a clean sheet, at least you get a point. We have something special – we have a team.”

 

Premier League 2014-15

Errors leading to opposition shots

Liverpool

13

Manchester United

11

Newcastle United

8

Everton

8

Queens Park Rangers

8

Tottenham Hotspur

7

Arsenal

7

Burnley

6

Swansea City

6

Chelsea

6

Leicester City

5

Crystal Palace

5

Manchester City

5

West Bromwich Albion

4

Sunderland

3

Aston Villa

2

Hull City

2

West Ham United

1

Stoke City

1

Southampton

0

Alderweireld then explains how his partnership with Fonte developed so quickly and why they have such faith in the two young English full-backs – Clyne and Bertrand – either side of them.

“Someone makes a fault, the other one makes it good for you,” says Alderweireld. “That's a good feeling, it's important to have the confidence that you can make a mistake. That gives me a lot of confidence to play.”

 

A map of the average positions that the Southampton players have taken up this season is also instructive. Width is provided almost exclusively by the full-backs (Nos 21 and 2 on the pitch map) and, while Alderweireld (17) and Fonte (6) are not especially adventurous in breaking forward, they are protected by a disciplined midfield two of Victor Wanyama (12) and Morgan Schneiderlin (4).

Tadic (11, hidden) and Pelle (19) play in almost identical positions further forward with two other midfielders – often Steven Davis and Jack Cork (18) – also playing fairly centrally in-between. It means that as many as six players are involved in winning back the ball high up the pitch. And even then, if opponents get through that central mass, Alderweireld and Fonte are waiting. The mobility of Bertrand and Clyne down their respective flanks is also crucial. The heat map shows that they are actually more wing-backs than defenders.

The other related strength is Southampton's ability to retain possession. If you have the ball, you cannot be hurt by your opponent and not making needless mistakes with their passing is crucial. If they lost possession cheaply, there would be a risk of opponents exploiting the space behind Bertrand and Clyne. Yet not since the opening day of the season at Anfield have Southampton played a Premier League game and not had the majority share of possession.

 

Premier League 2014-15

Shots on target faced

Queens Park Rangers

71

Leicester City

63

Burnley

59

Sunderland

58

Hull City

58

West Bromwich Albion

56

West Ham

55

Aston Villa

54

Crystal Palace

52

Swansea City

52

Manchester United

49

Liverpool

49

Tottenham Hotspur

48

Newcastle United

43

Everton

43

Arsenal

40

Manchester City

39

Chelsea

36

Stoke City

32

Southampton

25

There remain, of course, two massive caveats going forward. The fixture schedule has been relatively kind to Southampton during these opening 12 games and then we have the unanswered question of whether there is the squad depth to maintain these levels as the season only intensifies.

Potentially defining tests now await. As well as the looming fixtures against Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United, they also face Chelsea and Arsenal in seven days over Christmas. We will know much more about Southampton's Champions League challenge in five weeks but there is absolutely nothing so far in their results or performances – and especially the statistics – to suggest that they will easily fade.

 

 

 

So what is happening? How are Fraser Forster, Nathaniel Clyne, Toby Alderweireld, Jose Fonte and Ryan Bertrand – combined cost £11.2 million – outperforming so much more costly rivals?

A bit disingenuous

It's not too difficult to see why Saints have conceded so few. Teams have to go through banks of very effective defensive players before they even get a sight of goal. That these same players have shown an ability to play forward and through teams is helping get the wins.

Part of me thinks we'll maintain this form over the coming weeks and part of me thinks it'll all go pear shaped fairly soon.

Any other schizophrenics out there?

Part of me thinks we'll maintain this form over the coming weeks and part of me thinks it'll all go pear shaped fairly soon.

 

Any other schizophrenics out there?

Me.

That said, I go into most games thinking we'll lose. So a run of City, Arsenal & United is unlikely to be any different.

Part of me thinks we'll maintain this form over the coming weeks and part of me thinks it'll all go pear shaped fairly soon.

 

Any other schizophrenics out there?

No, I just think it'll go pear-shaped all the time.

Errors leading to opposition shots at goal, 0.

Obviously not been updated since Monday evening then?

I'm utterly sick to death with the media bias towards the big clubs, they really do hate us. Look at them doing their best to destabilise us with, errrm, praise. Disgraceful.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/11260292/Southampton-face-Man-City-Arsenal-and-Man-Utd-next-but-just-how-good-are-Premier-Leagues-Barcelona.html

To be fair we've been leaking to the Telegraph since the Summer, so they're likely to talk us up.

Funny that they have Tadic playing in an identical position to Pelle. This is the trouble with averages.

He plays on the left. He plays on the right. And when you try to average him, he's squashed out of sight.

Won't make it as a song, mind you.

To be fair we've been leaking to the Telegraph since the Summer, so they're likely to talk us up.

And Jeremy Wilson is a Saints fan

I'm utterly sick to death with the media bias towards the big clubs, they really do hate us. Look at them doing their best to destabilise us with, errrm, praise. Disgraceful.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/11260292/Southampton-face-Man-City-Arsenal-and-Man-Utd-next-but-just-how-good-are-Premier-Leagues-Barcelona.html

I imagine the big clubs will pay some other journalists to beat up this journalist to destabilise him. Or something.

I imagine the big clubs will pay some other journalists to beat up this journalist to destabilise him. Or something.

WHY DO THEY HATE US SO????!!!?!?!?!!

WHHHHHHHYYYYYY???!!!???!!!

WHY DO THEY HATE US SO????!!!?!?!?!!

 

WHHHHHHHYYYYYY???!!!???!!!

 

Oh god. Please don't quote the fool, he's on my ignore list.

Oh god. Please don't quote the fool, he's on my ignore list.

This isn't really ignoring him though, is it?

This article seems to be missing the bit explaining how come we're the Premier League's Barcelona? When did this happen? I did not get the memo!

This article seems to be missing the bit explaining how come we're the Premier League's Barcelona? When did this happen? I did not get the memo!

I thought Barcelona were La Liga's Southampton???

And Jeremy Wilson is a Saints fan

Close but not quite. We've had a media partnership with Telegraph for a while now. It was one of the first things the new PR agency did.

This isn't really ignoring him though, is it?

No, cos you quoted him! Anyway, please try not to!

Close but not quite. We've had a media partnership with Telegraph for a while now. It was one of the first things the new PR agency did.

Apparently stuff like that doesn't happen. Are you saying that due to a partnership with a paper they won't tend to write anything negative about us?

"Dorkish" called this one a while ago, bang on the money as usual.

http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?30492-Barcelona-tonight-an-insight-into-our-future#.VHi7oX8gGSM

I imagine the big clubs will pay some other journalists to beat up this journalist to destabilise him. Or something.

Its a classic case of reverse psychology, pay a journalist to praise us up just before a tough run, we become complacent, start losing because if it, then the big comes can come in and steal our players as the media driven complacency will show them we are as not as good as we thought we were. It's go the work of meddling big clubs all over it.

Me.

 

That said, I go into most games thinking we'll lose. So a run of City, Arsenal & United is unlikely to be any different.

Weirdly, it's just the opposite for me. For several years now, I have been expecting us to win pretty much every time we play. Amazing feeling of confidence!

Apparently stuff like that doesn't happen. Are you saying that due to a partnership with a paper they won't tend to write anything negative about us?

If the story stands up then of course not. It helps that with the exception of Mitchell's departure, there's nothing negative to write about now.

Essentially the club and agency identified The Telegraph as a sympathetic title during #meltdown and worked with them to place a series of articles with a more positive spin, such as the interviews with senior management and a lot of the coverage we've seen recently. The relationship is ongoing.

Close but not quite. We've had a media partnership with Telegraph for a while now. It was one of the first things the new PR agency did.

Sorry, Jeremy is a big Saints fan.

He doesn't need the services of a PR agency prompting him to write articles about the club he supports.

Sorry, Jeremy is a big Saints fan.

 

He doesn't need the services of a PR agency prompting him to write articles about the club he supports.

Simon is a big Saints fan but you don't see pages of positive stories in the Metro.

PR companies don't prompt journalists by the way. They work with them to facilitate exclusive access, interviews etc.

If the story stands up then of course not. It helps that with the exception of Mitchell's departure, there's nothing negative to write about now.

 

Essentially the club and agency identified The Telegraph as a sympathetic title during #meltdown and worked with them to place a series of articles with a more positive spin, such as the interviews with senior management and a lot of the coverage we've seen recently. The relationship is ongoing.

Sorry, I was being facetious. Well aware of the deal, it's good to have one paper on our side whilst the others are paid off and given negative stories to release.

Sorry, Jeremy is a big Saints fan.

 

He doesn't need the services of a PR agency prompting him to write articles about the club he supports.

Did you not see the massive article written a couple of months ago where he got access to people and information that no-one has had since Cortese had Ben Smith at the BBC deal with our PR?

This article seems to be missing the bit explaining how come we're the Premier League's Barcelona? When did this happen? I did not get the memo!

I think they were referring to Southampton's awesome beaches, beautiful weather and delightful tapas.

A great read but the stats could be as much a reflection of who we played as how we played. Sunday will be a fascinating game , that is for sure.

As Saints fans we will always be expecting it to go tits up.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/11261570/Victor-Wanyama-grateful-for-support-of-Southampton-family-ahead-of-clash-against-Manchester-City.html

Not sure if it deserves it's own thread but found the paper also has a piece on Wanayama. Made for a good read.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/11261570/Victor-Wanyama-grateful-for-support-of-Southampton-family-ahead-of-clash-against-Manchester-City.html

 

Not sure if it deserves it's own thread but found the paper also has a piece on Wanayama. Made for a good read.

Great article and interview. Deserves its own thread IMO

'Errors leading to opposition shots'.. worst in the league for that made me chuckle..

Part of me thinks we'll maintain this form over the coming weeks and part of me thinks it'll all go pear shaped fairly soon.

 

Any other schizophrenics out there?

Technically that is not really schizophrenic.

Technically that is not really schizophrenic.

Try telling that to the voices in my head. It was one of them that told me it was schizophrenia. Gits. They're always telling me to say the wrong thing just to make me look a fool on Saintsweb.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/11261570/Victor-Wanyama-grateful-for-support-of-Southampton-family-ahead-of-clash-against-Manchester-City.html

 

Not sure if it deserves it's own thread but found the paper also has a piece on Wanayama. Made for a good read.

Good stuff. Anyone else see the Sky build up/coverage for Sunday's game? Really bigging us up and an interview with Fonte, but I didn't catch it all?