Friday 5 February 2016 12:20, UK
Six weeks ago, Ronald Koeman feared a relegation battle, but after a successful January on and off the pitch, Southampton are just six points off a Europa League place. So what's prompted the turnaround?
After a record-setting season last term, Southampton had to contend with another summer exodus as key players departed, and early Europa League elimination proved to be warning of a more challenging campaign ahead.
A dreadful run of one win from 10 games had the Saints hovering seven points above the relegation zone in mid December, and not even a morale-boosting 4-0 win over Arsenal could halt the slide as they followed up with losses to West Ham, Norwich and Crystal Palace.
However, a four-game unbeaten run across January and February has lifted the mood, and after impressive results at Old Trafford and the Emirates, Koeman has been voted Premier League Manager of the Month for January and the Saints have risen up to seventh ahead of a showdown with sixth-placed West Ham on Saturday Night Football.
We take a look at five factors that helped turn things around...
Fraser Forster's return
Maarten Stekelenburg admirably held the fort for much of Forster's nine-month absence, but his return has highlighted just how much Southampton missed their England goalkeeper.
They have not conceded since Forster's comeback against Watford, a run of form that has quickly catapulted the Saints man back into international contention.
Once described by Lionel Messi as "inhuman", his "magic" display at Arsenal had Koeman touting him as one of the Premier League's finest, and his return has restored confidence to a back-line that looked lost in one-sided defeats by Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City.
Another clean sheet on Saturday night will see Forster become the first Southampton 'keeper in 15 years to keep five in a row in the league, although he remains some way off his personal best of 13, a Scottish League record set during his time at Celtic.
"We know, normally, if you are nine months out, you need minutes, but from the start he has been what he was," Koeman added after the Arsenal display. "He is one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and maybe one of the best in Europe."
Tactical flexibility
Koeman reverted to a back four at the Emirates, but during the three-game winning streak in January, the Southampton boss opted for something closer to a 3-5-2 formation.
The tactical change worked a treat, as the Saints held in-form Watford duo Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney without a shot on target, and Koeman kept faith as they saw off West Brom and Manchester United.
Ryan Bertrand slotted alongside traditional centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Jose Fonte, and the nominal left-back has relished playing in the new role.
"The boys have really gelled into that formation and shown how good we can be with the adaption," Bertrand said.
"We've got a brilliant cohesiveness between the three of us, and even with the two wing-backs, the midfield and the front - we have great communication, and it means we can really go and get on top of the opposition and really get aggressive with them."
Selection stability
Transfer windows have not been kind in recent seasons, and January had the potential to cause havoc for Koeman once again.
The month got off to the worst possible start when reported Manchester United target Sadio Mane was dropped from the squad to face Norwich after missing a team meeting, before Victor Wanyama, another regular in the gossip column, was singled out for criticism after the game.
In the end, Wanyama, Mane and Graziano Pelle all stayed put after Koeman threatened to "leave them in the stands", and the bonus signing of Charlie Austin was quickly vindicated when he scored the winner at Old Trafford on his debut.
The relatively calm transfer window meant Koeman was able to pick from a settled side, and recent changes to the team have been tactical rather than enforced.
Wanyama in control
Speaking of Wanyama, to his credit the midfielder played some of his best football in December and January, despite the transfer rumours.
In the 4-0 win over Arsenal, he was back to his imperious best, making a match-high six tackles and 10 interceptions, and he repeated the trick in the victory over United, leading all players with six interceptions in a man-of-the-match performance.
He's often been key against the top six sides, when his precocious ball-winning ability comes into its own, and even against the rest, his presence frees up his midfield partner to attack.
Koeman paired James Ward-Prowse with Wanyama in the one-sided victory over West Brom, and the England Under-21 captain responded with two goals. When the trip to the Emirates called for a different approach, the Saints manager brought in the like-minded Oriol Romeu.
"I think a really good team can play different systems if you have the kind of players and we have that," Koeman said. "I don't go crazy and change every weekend. We know how to play different systems. That makes it so much more difficult for the opponents to know what they can expect."
It's all added up to a well-balanced midfield that can be adjusted depending on the opposition, with the only constant being Wanyama's central position.
Long to Mane
It's unusual for a team's form to pick up in the absence of their top scorer, but Graziano Pelle's injury allowed Koeman to experiment with alternative pairings up front.
The Italy international, missing since the defeat by Tottenham, was replaced by a Shane Long and Sadio Mane combination that blitzed a title-challenging Arsenal side in their next match.
The pair worked tirelessly in the return fixture at the Emirates, and Long has led the team in sprints made in every game since the defeat by Norwich.
His energy contrasts with Pelle, who brings more goals to the side, but Koeman's switch in formation has better suited the hard running style of Mane and Long.
Pelle, still to shake off a lingering knee injury, will return to a different team to the one he left, and faces added competition following the arrival of Austin from QPR. It's a lovely problem for Koeman to have, though,
