This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Southampton travel to St James’ Park this Sunday as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side continue their run of fixtures against sides in and around them in the battle for survival.
The Saints took on Watford last week, managing to avoid a seriously detrimental result as they overturned a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1 with just 12 minutes left on the clock to do so.
Then, Hasenhuttl’s men faced Norwich, another side who were languishing in the relegation zone before that particular game kicked off on Wednesday evening – fortunately, the Saints picked up three more crucial points with a 2-1 win.
Newcastle have been in decent form of late, winning back-to-back games against West Ham and Bournemouth, before salvaging a point against reigning champions Manchester City and winning away to Sheffield United.
Here are two Magpies stars who could pose Southampton some problems…
Jetro Willems
A left-back? What damage could he cause?
Well, the on-loan Netherlands international has been a real star for the Tynesiders so far this season, netting against Liverpool and Manchester City while also grabbing two assists.
Willems, 25, makes 2.2 tackles per game and 1.9 clearances per game, showcasing his defensive qualities as well as his obvious attacking nous going forward.
Significantly, Southampton have issues down Willems’ flank at right-back, with Hasenhuttl often swapping between Yan Valery and Cedric, while a report from The Mirror (print version, November 12, page 53) stated that the Austrian has prioritised signing a new right-back this January.
Allan Saint-Maximin
The Magpies’ very own wing wizard looks like he will be an absolute nightmare for the Premier League’s leakiest backline to deal with – the Saints have conceded 33 goals this season.
Saint-Maximin, a £16.5m summer signing from OGC Nice, is yet to assist this season, although he records 4.3 dribbles per game on average and scored his first Magpies goal against Sheffield United last time out – only Lionel Messi, Wilfried Zaha and Eden Hazard have more in Europe’s top-five leagues this term.
The Frenchman is a real handful to deal with, and for a side whose full-back areas are especially weak such as Southampton’s are, he could cause chaos.
In other Southampton news, a report from David Ornstein is further evidence of how much of a shambles the Saints are under Gao Jisheng…
