Koeman facing Southampton's plateau

Few Southampton fans would begrudge Ronald Koeman some time for head scratching after watching his team’s display against Everton. Saints were unable to break down a well-organized Everton defence, and the 1-0 defeat meant they missed out on the opportunity to move up to 5th place in the Premier League.

The game served to highlight two contrasting viewpoints of Southampton’s season.

The glass-half-full perspective is that Saints sit comfortably at the head of the ‘best of the rest’ in the Premier League, with only the established “Big Six” above them. Every week, without fail, match commentators glibly dole out the same, tired comments about what a remarkable season it has been for Southampton, given the turmoil of last summer and the exodus of talent from the club. Be grateful for what your team has achieved, Saints fans: 13 other Premier League clubs would love to be in your position.

Accepting that assessment is, like those clichés, lazy and unconstructive. For Southampton to progress next season some issues must be addressed.

Koeman will be concerned that players of the caliber of Pellè, Mané, Long, and Tadic appeared to very quickly run out of ideas in the search for an equalizer. Saints had plenty of possession, but their side-to-side ball movement was easy to defend against; there was precious little in the way of penetration behind Everton’s defensive lines.

The other obvious conclusion from the game is how much Southampton misses Fraser Forster in goal. As capable a replacement as Kelvin Davis is, he lacks the ability to dominate and marshal the penalty area like Forster does, and Everton’s goal epitomized this discrepancy.

European qualification might be beyond Southampton this year, but if Koeman can solve these problems, Saints will be legitimate Champions League contenders next season.