Southampton finally showed that they are ready to make a real fight of preserving their Premier League status during their 2-1 win against Bournemouth, and it was a potentially positive sign for the future – if they do survive.
The south coast outfit came into the match against their local neighbours four points from safety – with just four fixtures remaining – and they knew they simply had to get the three points despite tasting success in just one of their previous 21 top flight matches.
Mark Hughes had taken just one point from a possible 12 since succeeding Mauricio Pellegrino, and while there had clearly been an upturn in performances and the goal threat they were bringing, mistakes at the other end of the pitch were continuing to punish them.
Nevertheless, Saints started strongly against the Cherries and it was clear to see that the 11 players in the red and white stripes were determined to get the win, and it was great for the St Mary’s faithful to see given their shocking displays against Newcastle United and West Ham United in March, and with players such as Sofiane Boufal and Mario Lemina sometimes not seeming as though they were putting in as much effort as they should have been.
Lemina was one of those that really stood up and was counted against Eddie Howe’s side, and while he may have played a few minutes in a Champions League final for Juventus less than 12 months ago, Hughes has clearly got him up for this relegation battle based on his most recent showing.
In fact, for the first time since they finished in sixth position in the Premier League in 2016 before former boss Ronald Koeman departed for Everton, the players looked really motivated and willing to press the opposition.
Southampton have certainly lost their identity and the envious eyes of their top flight rivals under the Dutchman’s successors Claude Puel and Mauricio Pellegrino, and Hughes has been given the task of not only saving the club from the drop, but also to try and forge more of a relationship with his players that hasn’t been evident under the previous managers.
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The 54-year-old is certainly starting to do that – as well as improving their fitness and bringing back that same willingness to work – and it appears as though he feels he has a real affinity to the club having played for them towards the end of his playing career in the late 90s, and that can make all the difference to the supporters and getting that feel-good factor around St Mary’s that had almost disappeared under Puel and Pellegrino.
If the south coast outfit do survive – their fans on Twitter are already feeling confident ahead of their trip to Goodison Park to face Everton on Saturday – the Welshman will certainly be one of the frontrunners to get the job on a permanent basis, and if that does end up being the case you can expect a major overhaul of the playing squad in the summer.
The likes of Ryan Bertrand, Cedric Soares, Dusan Tadic, Mario Lemina, Sofiane Boufal and Manolo Gabbiadini could be just some of the high-profile individuals on their way, and a big rebuilding job could be on the cards.
However, if the club ensures that they hand Hughes the funds from those sales – plus some more on top – there is no doubt that he has the ability to bring some great players to St Mary’s himself and create a side that can be challenging in the upper echelons of the Premier League table once again.
The 54-year-old was part of the team that brought the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Jese Rodriguez – despite it not working out for the attacker – to the Britannia Stadium, and those types of talented individuals mixed with a hard-working and committed core can take Southampton up the standings.
That is exactly the setup they had under Ronald Koeman previously when they finished seventh and then sixth in successive campaigns, and given Burnley are set to end the campaign in the former it shows that it won’t be out of reach for Saints again next term should they stay up and then make the correct decisions.
