Southampton Vs Tottenham Match Preview

Article by Ashley Caparelli

Sherwood will be hoping to impress in his first Premier League game in charge and force Levy into handing him the job on a full time basis. His opposite number Pochettino is among the favourites to succeed AVB for the Tottenham job having impressed in his time as Southampton boss. Spurs need to win to get their season back on track and justify the money spent in the summer.

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Tottenham will have to make do without Vertonghen, Kaboul, Townsend and Pauliniho due to injuries and suspensions respectively. Spurs have been unfortunate with injuries recently forcing them to pay an unconventional back four, they will however welcome back club captain Michael Dawson who they hope will steady the ship. Spurs have conceded 15 goals in their last 6 league games with a goal return of just 6, both will have to be rectified if Sherwood is to avoid a similar fate to AVB.

Southampton have close to a full strength squad with right back Clyne still to be assessed. Southampton's form has taken a dip with the saints only managing 1 win in their last 6 games in which they conceded 11 of their 15 goals this season However these fixtures did include tough matches against league leaders Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Under AVB spurs seemed to struggle to have many shots on target having a dismal 36% shot accuracy this season. This lack of form continued under Sherwood in the 2-1 home defeat to West Ham in the league cup with only 4 out of 21 shots being on target. Despite having 68% possession and a pass accuracy rate of 83% Spurs struggled to break down a resilient West Ham side who forced them into long shots and mistakes. Spurs struggled to deal with long balls and crosses which cost them dearly having only one 36% of aerial challenges, although the apparent return to a deeper defensive line than that played under AVB and the return of Dawson should help improve this.

Pochettino had Southampton playing an impressive passing game with a pass success of 83% at home so far this season. They have averaged just under 2 goals a game which could have been better had they managed a higher shot accuracy than 36%. It is difficult to see a long ball game from this fixture with aerial success rate of the Saints being 51%. Southampton with cause Tottenham several problems with them averaging 11.5 chances per game.

It is difficult to call this game as we are unsure how Sherwood will approach the game. With the return of key players in key areas he may revert back to the 4-2-3-1 formation as we saw towards the end of the West Ham game. Spurs seemed to play with more urgency on Wednesday and had many chances at the beginning of both halves, if they are able to keep this intensity or take advantage of these chances than they have a good chance of winning.

Both teams have a lot to prove as they wish to return to form, as the old cliché goes; 'whoever wants it more will win' and spurs certainly have more to lose. If I was to make a bet I would wager on a close game with Spurs just coming out on top.

Sky Bet Odds:
7/5 Southampton
9/4 Draw
2/1 Tottenham

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