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Expect the unexpected from Southampton

By on February 1, 2015

From the outside, one would be hard pressed to find a single person who would have predicted that Southampton would be in fourth place in the Premier League by February – much less a sane one. And moreover, their pace in the table hasn’t been some sort of fluke. In fact, only a loss today saw them knocked down from third. With wins over Arsenal and Manchester United and a draw with league leaders Chelsea, Southampton have played like a top four side with the results to back it.

Yet then, there are some freakish results at odds with this storyline. Take a draw with Aston Villa or their loss to Burnley in December. These seem no more than fluke results but too common ones at that. As Swansea City came to the formidable palace that has become of Saint Mary’s Stadium, Southampton indeed dominated their opponents frequently. At times it seemed like a match of keep-away as Southampton ended with 63% possession. Ronald Koeman’s side were by no means short of chances, as well, ending with fifteen shots. However, Swansea weathered the storm and via Jonjo Shelvy’s screaming effort late on stole the win. Not too long afterwards, Ryan Bertrand lashed out in frustration and was sent off for a rash challenge – uncharacteristic for a usually calm and confident Southampton. But then again, that act matched the theme of the night.

Every team falls victim to the occasional upset, yet, especially against a club coming off a 5-0 loss to Chelsea and without a win in four prior matches, are Southampton finally showing they are slightly behind par compared to the likes Arsenal or Manchester United?

They actually have no comparison. Not Everton or Swansea, the usual mid-table breakouts in contention for a European position, have in recent history found themselves in such a high position. Such have they caught most by surprise there is no telling what may happen next with no other comparison. Already they have proven extremely adapt at surprising, whether that be with a win or loss, next there is no telling what they may do.

Taking a step back, it is still very plausible that they have the quality for a fourth place finish. Yet week after week, they go into matches without anybody knowing what they may or may not produce. There is an element of excitement and mystery about them. This was the result they dreaded – losing when all their other top four competitors won – yet with two easier fixtures in the coming weeks they could be right back up in the running. Or not – they may drop a few points but then regain them against Liverpool in two weeks. They may struggle to score again, or emulate their 8-0 win over Sunderland There is no telling with Southampton.

Photo credit: Paul Blank and Wikipedia Commons

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.