Should the Gunners take inspiration from Southampton’s approach?

Should the Gunners take inspiration from Southampton’s approach?

By Peter White

Having emphatically bounced back from a turgid first half of the season, Arsenal’s impending double header against Southampton represents something of a make-or-break moment in the 2020/21 campaign.  

The Gunners have been looking up ever since a 3-1 win over Chelsea on Boxing Day initiated a six-game unbeaten streak, which has also produced five successive clean sheets for the first time in 11 years.  

Arsenal and Southampton shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at the Emirates in their previous meeting last month, and now the Saints stand in the way of the north Londoners’ bid to continue their FA Cup defence on Saturday, before a league meeting three days later.  

Currently one spot and two points above 10th-placed Arsenal in the Premier League table - and with a game in hand - Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have largely impressed throughout 2020/21, beating the likes of Everton and defending champions Liverpool on their charge towards the European places.  

While Arsenal’s upturn in fortune has somewhat coincided with a slowing of Southampton’s fine form - the South Coast side recording just one win in their last six league outings - Mikel Arteta will no doubt be aware of the test posed by a team that have kept four clean sheets in their last five games in all competitions.  

Since returning to the top tier in 2012 Southampton have remained competitive despite enduring several sticky spells that have seen high-profile players depart and no less than seven men occupy the managerial hotseat.  

As the clock ticks towards kick-off at St Mary’s, we consider what Arsenal might learn from their rivals’ ability to continuously go again the face of adversity, to ensure that Arteta’s charges continue on the right path.  

Sticking by their man

Despite currently sitting pretty as perhaps one of the highest-rated managers in the top flight, that certainly wasn’t always the case for Hasenhuttl, who joined Southampton in December 2018.  

The former RB Leipzig boss was largely ridiculed for implementing a high defensive line that yielded a 9-0 defeat at home to Leicester City less than a year into his tenure - equalling the record for the biggest Premier League defeat ever.  

While the easy option for the Saints hierarchy might have been to cut their losses and relieve Hasenhuttl of his duties, they persevered with the Austrian, which eventually came with great reward.  

Southampton eventually finished 11th in the league last season and have gone on to impress this term as the players continue to become more confident working according to Hasenhuttl’s high-pressing, high-energy philosophy.  

At Arsenal there were similar calls for Arteta’s head after an error-strewn 4-1 defeat at home to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in December, which followed a seven-game winless streak in the Premier League.  

But Arsenal’s impressive run since suggests that Arteta’s ideas are starting to hit home, and the Emirates faithful will be hopeful of long-term success similar to Hasenhuttl’s, albeit on a greater scale.  

Shrewd signings

Southampton’s nous in the transfer market has helped them remain a force in the Premier League, despite losing several of their top stars to so-called ‘bigger teams’ over the past few years.  

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Dusan Tadic were picked up for modest fees before going on to become stars of European football, seemingly leaving big holes in the Saints squad.

  

But that ability to pick out a bargain has remained a regular feature of Southampton’s recruitment exploits, and they currently sit above Arsenal in the league standings having only signed Kyle Walker-Peters, Mohammed Salisu, Ibrahima Diallo and former Arsenal man Theo Walcott in the summer.  

Nicolas Pepe’s struggles for Arsenal this season prove that splashing the cash doesn’t always reap rewards, while the £7.2m signing of Pablo Mari suggests that Arteta already has an eye for a good deal.  

Bigger-money arrivals such as those of Gabriel and Thomas Partey are perhaps likely to be required to push further up the table than Southampton are expected to finish, but nevertheless the Saints have shown time and again that players with potential are out there to be claimed for next-to-nothing.  

Focus on academy

As well as consistently buying well, Southampton have historically relied on a plethora of academy talent to keep them firing in amongst the country’s biggest hitters.  

International stars such as Luke Shaw, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gareth Bale all came up through the ranks at St Mary’s, while Michael Obafemi, Will Smallbone and Yan Valery are just some of the current crop of youngsters being given their chance now.  

Arteta has reaped the benefits of affording his less experienced squad members playing time over recent weeks, with Emile Smith Rowe central to the Gunners’ good run since Boxing Day.  

Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah and Joe Willock are just a few of the other young stars in line for a bright future under the Spaniard.  

While Arsenal might not be forced to cash in on their academy stars in the same vein that Southampton have, they may place a similar level of importance on their contribution to the first-team in pursuit of their targets in the coming months and years.

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