As Southampton strengthen this summer, Mauricio Pochettino has been handed a substantial war-chest to utilise. Dejan Lovren, Victor Wanyama and Pablo Osvaldo have all arrived to solidify areas that needed bolstering, with Saints looking a much stronger outfit as a result.
While the south coast club dropped points in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland last weekend, the quality of the team has improved significantly, with Saints now a tougher all-round proposition. The new TV deal has significantly bolstered the coffers within teams outside of the conventional top 4, evidenced in the substantial levels of investment by the likes of Norwich, Cardiff and Swansea City, along with Saints.
Spending over €30m before the transfer window closes would undoubtedly leave supporters excited, but it’s one of the players that was already at St Mary's who has stood out so far this season. Alongside Lovren at the heart of the defence, Jose Fonte has gone a long way to ensuring he maintains his place in the starting XI with an average WhoScored rating of 8.21; the highest of every player with at least 2 Premier League appearances this term.
The Portuguese defender has evidently impressed for Saints this season, while only David Silva (8.02) and Simon Mignolet (8.02) scored higher than Lovren’s 7.97. In conceding just the one goal in their opening two fixtures, in a defence that comes under some pressure, it’s no surprise to see the pairing rank so highly early on.
Fonte is the only player to have earned 2 WhoScored man of the match awards this season, emphasising the defensive ability of the experienced centre-back. It’s this maturity that will aid the club significantly as they aim to avoid ‘second season syndrome’ and a drop down into the second tier, while helping Lovren settle in during his debut Premier League campaign.
Fonte has proven a sturdy custodian thus far, with no player making more defensive clearances (27). An average of 13.5 clearances per game highlights his no-nonsense approach to defending, ensuring the team have conceded just 4 shots on target over 180 minutes.
Interestingly, over those 2 games, the former Crystal Palace centre-back is yet to make a tackle this season, which is where Lovren comes into play. The Croatia international has averaged 3.5 tackles per game, the highest of every player at the south coast club. Eyebrows were raised when it emerged that Saints had spent a reported £8.5m on the former Lyon defender, especially with his form dwindling over the last 12 months.
Yet, his physical presence is suited to the English game and in winning 4.5 aerial duels per game - the most of any Southampton player - the heading capabilities of Lovren will undoubtedly come in useful not only when defending, but in attacking situations as well. With Fonte averaging 3.5 interceptions and Lovren 2.5, it’s evident that the pairing have developed an early understanding with one another, something that would undoubtedly have pleased Pochettino.
The duo between them have averaged the most accurate long balls per game in the Premier League thus far - Lovren 14 and Fonte 11.5 - somewhat hinting at Pochettino’s gameplan for Saints this season. With the Argentine able to call upon the likes of Gaston Ramirez, Jay Rodriguez and James Ward-Prowse, pushing the ball high up the pitch as quickly as possible to utilise their pace and ability to run at the opposition with speed is perhaps the favoured weapon in his arsenal thus far.
A solid defence is the cornerstone to a successful season and Pochettino is indicating that his preferred defensive partnership this season will be Fonte and Lovren, ahead of the likes of Jos Hooiveld and Maya Yoshida. Establishing two first-team regulars in the backline early on was essential to their survival this season following an unfruitful end to the previous campaign, when they failed to win any of their final 6 matches.
Yet, with the start to the season the pairing have made, it’s expected that both Fonte and Lovren have already become the regulars at the back. The latter may have seen his arrival questioned by some when taking into account the fee paid to Lyon, but he appears to already be settling into his new surroundings. Coupled with Fonte’s experience in England’s top tier, the two centre-backs might just provide the necessary defensive solidity for Saints this season, exemplified in the duos' impressive starts to the campaign.
