Saints set to star in Brazil

Article by e-Southampton's Samuel Wilkes

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Bem-vindo para o Santos no especial da Copa do Mundo! (Welcome to the Saints at the World Cup special).

The greatest sporting event in the world is here again and for once, more than just the odd Southampton players look set to feature on the biggest stage.

Whether they will remain at St Mary’s afterwards is not known (OK one has already left) but for now, let’s enjoy the moment, celebrate that it is our club represented in front of a global audience and it was our support that helped to get them there!

Rickie Lambert

It was Rickie’s form with Saints that put him on the radar for Roy Hodgson. Unfortunately, it also alerted his boyhood club Liverpool to the talents of the big number 7.

Far from the powerful, slightly overweight target man who joined from Bristol Rovers, Rickie has worked hard to shift the weight and add subtlety to his game. His link-up play brings goals for others and his finishing from open or set-plays is second to very few in the Premier League. Add in his phenomenal penalty record and Lambert could play a key role for England as an impact player.

Adam Lallana

Lallana is a rare talent in recent years, an Englishman who can take on the opposition. His creative spark and balance has unlocked countless defences to provide assists or score sublime goals.

The rumours surrounding his future should not deter from the fact that he has been at the club since he was 12 and stayed when others left at our lowest point.

Despite Hodgson’s conservative nature, the prospect of Lallana on one wing and Raheem Sterling on the other is a mouth-watering.

Luke Shaw

18 year-old Luke Shaw has done incredibly to displace Ashley Cole as the reserve left-back to Leighton Baines for the tournament.

While this is likely to only be a watching brief, the experience that Shaw will gain will be invaluable. His attacking runs could potentially be useful but defensive frailties, highlighted in the draw against Ecuador, mean that Luke is unlikely to get a game.

On the plus side, he will have a lot of time to tweet.

Gaston Ramirez

Coming up against the three players previously mentioned will be the enigmatic Uruguayan, Gaston Ramirez.

Enigmatic in that, while we can all see his moments of brilliance, it tends to be a frustrating experience as he gives the ball away consistently.

Having yet to fully pick up the pace of the English game, the World Cup could be a useful shop window for a move back to Italy that could be beneficial for both player and club.

Dejan Lovren

Arguably the best buy of the 2013/14 Premier League season was the £7m steal of Dejan Lovren. His calming presence at the back was a major reason for the successful season and he brought the best out of Jose Fonte who was inconsistent in the Championship.

Lovren is set to start in the opening game of the tournament versus Brazil in Sao Paolo knowing that the host nation has NEVER lost the opening game. But games against Mexico and Cameroon should see Croatia through as group runners up.

Maya Yoshida

A peripheral figure for Saints this year, Yoshida is still a superstar in Japan. To prove it, he features on the Japanese version of FIFA.

With a distinctly average group featuring Colombia, a goal-shy Greece and an ageing Ivory Coast team, the Japanese team has an excellent chance of progressing to the next stage of the tournament.

Morgan Schneiderlin

Squeezing into the World Cup at the very last minute thanks to injuries for Franck Ribery and Clement Grenier, Schneiderlin may count himself lucky to be in Brazil at all but there are few Saints fans who wouldn’t say he should be there on merit.

Likely to only feature as a substitute, this is still a huge moment for the midfielder who has stuck with the club through administration, relegation from the Championship and subsequent promotion back to the Premier League.

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