Southampton: Can Mark Hughes keep the Saints from sinning?

Recent history can paint a picture of one word and not a 1000 for Mark Hughes and the possibilities of keeping up a team in doomsday protocol.

Back on the 16th of December, with Stoke’s bet365 stadium suffering a power outage right before a crucial home tie against fellow strugglers West Ham United, it was up to a certain Mark “Sparky” Hughes to fix the blackout at struggling Stoke.

Unfortunately, this “Sparky” wasn’t up to the task; Stoke were shocked a month later by a 2-1 defeat to an electric performance by third tier Coventry, ending his tenure.

Fast forward 2 months, and Hughes is back in management at the highest level with Southampton, perhaps sooner than most had expected. His predecessor at St. Mary’s, Mauricio Pellegrino, flattered to deceive in his eight games short of a full season with the club.

Promises of flashy football, as practiced previously under Ronald Koeman, were long-since forgotten come March, with Southampton neither inspired in attack nor resolute in defence.

So what can we expect to change for the Saints under Hughes? 

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In short – a much sturdier defence. Hughes was renowned in his time at Stoke and previously Fulham for a pragmatic style of play.

This style was built on tough tackling English midfielders and centre backs – à la Ryan Shawcross – that was effective in keeping smaller teams in the Premier League. His tactical style is typical for a British manager in the EPL, one which values solidity over flair.

It is too early to say if Hughes will look to implement his favoured system of a rigid 4 at the back with a strong forward up front (think Peter Crouch, Mame Biram Diouf). Nevertheless, one would feel such a system would not fit well with Southampton’s fullbacks, both of whom are quality crossers of the ball, but defensively suspect this season.

With such little time left in the current season, you feel Hughes will not implement a radical change too soon. Nevertheless, defensive solidity will be a priority, now that van Dijk has left. Hughes will also need to think hard over who his main striker will be to save them from relegation.

How will this fit in with the existing players at Southampton?

Southampton are a team that, on the face of it, seem built to play an attractive, passing based style of play. They possess quality wingers/playmakers in Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic, while their defensive base is solid with Romeu, Hoedt and Yoshida amongst others.

They also have brilliant fullbacks in Cedric and Ryan Bertrand, who have however largely disappointed this season. Creative midfielders are abundant in the team, with Mario Lemina, James Ward-Prowse and Sofiane Boufal just to name a few. Unfortunately, this wealth of creativity has not been capitalised upon, with the Saints scoring an alarming 29 goals in 30 games – hardly Premier League quality.

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However the attack is where Southampton seem to lack. Whilst Long, Austin, Carrillo and Gabbiadini are on paper a well-rounded attack, they have not delivered consistently enough for a relegation threatened team. With no transfer window before now and a hectic end of the season, Hughes will have to transform one of these misfits into a reliable goalscorer quick-smart.

Final Verdict

The jury is still very much out on this appointment. It is still early doors, and Hughes does seem a pragmatic choice from the Southampton board.

If he can deliver the Saints from their predicament, his signing will look a masterstroke. If not, one feels he is the perfect manager to have for a promotion campaign next season.