A week would have passed since Aston Villa picked up their first three points since January and Villa will be looking to make it back to back wins, for only the second time in Gerrard’s short time at the club, when the Saints come marching on to Villa Park.
The Saints will be no pushover though as they haven’t lost in seven games whilst picking up draws with the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United, they enjoyed a big win over Tottenham Hotspurs.
I spoke to Ben Stanners from the Total Saints Podcast so that I could find a little bit more about Southampton’s recent run of form, life without Danny Ings and the importance of their captain James Ward-Prowse.
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Southampton come into the game in a very decent run of form having won five of their last seven games as well as advancing into the sixth round of the FA Cup. Are you confident that you have reached a level of stability at the club which means you are prepared to push onto bigger things in that not too distant future?
I think that’s definitely the hope. We’ve had ‘false dawns’ before and then lost players or managers or owners, so there is a little nervousness around as to whether, having performed so well this season, that might happen again.
However, with the recent Sport Republic takeover of Saints – fronted by Serbian Dragan Solak – there is more optimism around the fan base that Saints can end this season in a positive place (Top-10 and two strong cup runs), before embarking on another, measured, summer recruitment plan.
Total Saints Podcast
James Ward-Prowse has been an impressive figure for Southampton for several seasons now but it seems this season he is getting a little bit more praise from opposition fans about his overall play and not just his set-piece wizardry. Do you think Southgate will feel as though Ward-Prowse has done enough to earn a spot in the World Cup squad later this year?
Who knows with Gareth Southgate! Ward-Prowse had a very good season in 2020/21….before being ceremoniously dumped by Southgate ahead of the Euros! Many Saints fans felt, like in previous scenarios, it was simply because of who he played for – a less fashionable Club.
As is often the case with Prowsey, he’s simply taken that rejection as inspiration, pushed on and performed even better this season. Leading by example. There is more to his game than just set-pieces. He covers every blade of grass, runs more than most opposition players and barely misses a minute of action (in all competitions). He is undoubtedly one of the most consistent midfielders in the Premier League and will surely be in Southgate’s thinking for Qatar.
True Saints Podcast
Finally, how do you expect the game to play out and what are your score predictions?
Add in the Ings-factor and it’s a match that looks to be nicely poised.
I think both sides will look to attack. We’re full of confidence, having been on a great run and can certainly give anyone a game on our day i think there’ll be goals (albeit hopefully not from Danny) so i am going for a 2-2 draw.
True Saints Podcast
How have Southampton replaced Danny Ings?
As mentioned earlier, in prior seasons Danny Ings proved to be a pivotal player in Southampton’s system because of his goal-scoring abilities. Whilst donning the red and white shirt Danny Ings accumulated 34 goals in 67 appearances which averages at just over a goal every two games. Needless to say, this is a very impressive record and you would think it would be difficult to replace such a prolific goalscorer. Well, Southampton hasn’t directly replaced Danny Ings however they have improved as a team without their home town hero.
One of the four players that I am going to speak about has consistently been one of Southampton’s best players for several seasons in a row now and that is their captain, James Ward-Prowse. For several years Ward-Prowse has flown under the radar in a sense as even though his free-kick mastery has often been highlighted, his general play is often ignored. Ward-Prowse’s passing ability is up to there with the best in the league and his ability to drag his team up the field when no one else sees to be turning up is what I admire about the Englishman. Without Danny Ings, a higher emphasis has been placed on the midfield to contribute to the goal scoring and he has taken on that responsibility by notching up six goals and four assists so far in the Premier League.
Another player who has now solidified his place after a tricky couple of yours at Southampton has been Che Adams. The former bluenose has stepped up to the plate after having to work without his former strike partner in Ings and the transition has been relatively effortless. I’m not sure if the reason why Adams struggled for so long at St Mary’s was because of Ings taking the limelight, but without Ings, at the club, Adams is likely to smash his Premier League scoring record; he is only three off beating it with plenty of games left.
The final player I am going to mention is the player that has most impressed me from Southampton this season – Armando Borja. The 20-year-old Albanian international has taken to the Premier League with ease since he was given an opportunity. The youngster looks like a dangerous finisher and one that Villa fans will have to look out for when Southampton travel to Villa Park. The only negative I can think of about Broja is that it is only a temporary fix in that the deal is only on loan. If Southampton can manage to bring him in permanently they could have a very promising prospect on their hands.
My Prediction
I have a feeling that both teams are going to be up for the fight on Saturday and I honestly believe that whoever wins this match will be the team that starts the brightest which isn’t necessarily good news given Villa’s struggles this season to play two good halves of football. Having said this if the news that the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters and Elyounoussi are doubts are true I think Villa should be able to capitalise. I think it will be similar to the last time these teams faced off at Villa Park in that there will be goals and I’m going to go with a 3-2. Victory with Ings, Ramsey and Digne scoring for Villa.
Let us know your predictions through Twitter using @UTVpodcast_. Enjoy the game Villans. UTV!
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