Saints hopes of making it tow wins in a row on Saturday when Burnley arrive at St Mary's have been boosted by the return to full training of Che Adams, although he may be unlikely to start the game with Armando Broja making such an Impact against Leeds united.

Che Adams had to sit out the game against Leeds and watch from the stands as loan signing from Chelsea made his debut as the lone striker up front and it is likely that Ralph Hasenhuttl will again got for the Albanian from Slough in that role for the visit of Burnley with Nathan Redmond once again in a more free role.

But any manager will tell you that sometimes it is just as important who you have on the bench when you go into a game, as it gives them the ability to change things when needed and good or bad substitutions can change a game.

The striking duo of Che Adams and Adam Armstrong haven't played badly in the opening game, they have been busy and created chances, but the truth is they haven't put enough away and strikers thrive on scoring goals.

So for both Adam Armstrong and Che Adams a week in the stands watching will hopefully have revitalised them and stirred them up to start banging the goals in.

So the return to fitness of Che Adams will be a big boost for Ralph Hasenhuttl in term so not just options but having strikers chomping on the bit.

Adams has had some rave reviews playing for Scotland and he will be keen to get back to Premier League action, competition in a squad spurs players on, we didn't have it last season, we do have it this

Photo: Action Images

halftimeorange added 11:25 - Oct 20 Armstrong A and Adams may have been busy but, they've hardly had many chances created for them to put away. The reintroduction of Armstrong S (in place of Elyounoussi) is most likely to change that. I'd leave Redmond in the role he played against Leeds to see if he can maintain that form but, against Burnley I'd be tempted to start Armstrong A alongside Broja in place of Djenepo and in front of Redmond. I just hope that Armstrong A doesn't replace Broja at any time in the game. Broja's height is key to our success (assuming he's fit) as Burnley will pack their defence. For me, although they're both frustrating, if Ralph sticks with the starting line-up from Saturday, Djenepo gives more to our defence than Elyounoussie and is left-footed. He matched up well in that respect with Perraud against Leeds.

1

DorsetIan added 12:00 - Oct 20 Keep the same team that started against Leeds but with S Armstrong in for Djenepo. Elyounoussi had probably his best game for Saints agains Leeds and deserves to keep his place. Djenepo was, as usual, the weak link for most of the game. But making one obvious swap, is not really Ralph's way, is it!!
1

KriSaint added 14:56 - Oct 20 I think Ralph likes Djenepos workrate. And besides his twisting and turning (himself to the ground) he does have an eye for a good counter attack pass - like vs Leeds. I'm not at all disappointed with Djenepo in the team. If Ralph continues with his 4-2-2-1-1 formation = 3 no. 10s and 1 no. 9, I'd exchange Elyounouissi for Stuart A., but I will fully accept if he goes with an unchanged team. Great to hear that Ché is fit. He must get some playing time vs Burnley and hopefully hammer one in Burnley's net. I feel (a little) sorry for Adam A , he's done nothing wrong , but luckily he is a pro, he's a PL player, he earns a sh*t load of money and he will come back and be successful. For the forthcoming games I expect it to be from the bench.

3

theralpholution added 18:39 - Oct 20 Djenepo comes in for too much stick. He does the work that other wingers like Redmond and Walcott don't. He tackles back and doesn't get easily shrugged off, his attitude is spot on. Yes, he's made mistakes but he's young and will continue to improve, can the same be said for the others? Deserves to be in again, he is not a weak link and it was his vision and pass which opened up Leeds for our first win.

3

DorsetIan added 23:10 - Oct 20 Don't get me wrong about Djenepo. Attitude, commitment, energy, ground covered are all good. But week in week out, he demonstrates a lack of the footballing ability and composure that you would expect from a Premier League player. And he shouldn't be in the side just because he's likeable and he tries really hard.
0

SonicBoom added 14:47 - Oct 21 To be fair DorsetIan, Yoshida built an entire career at Southampton by being a nice bloke....
1

A1079 added 16:24 - Oct 21 Broja looked good when we played West Ham and he certainly did enough against Leeds Utd to keep his place this forthcoming weekend. There is an assumption though that he will be better able to cope with Burnley's physical nature and their defenders. In truth, Broja was disappointing when I saw him at Sheffield Utd and he did not cope with their physical nature at all well (which was not dissimilar to what you can expect with our opponents this weekend).

0

Block8 added 18:42 - Oct 21 Its difficult to see the need for changes to the starting 11 on Saturday. First win of the season, very good performance and a very different and direct attacking style not normally seen by us. Although there may be a case for S. Armstrong to start I'm not sure either Djnepo or Elly deserve to be benched. Burnley will however offer a far tougher challenge than Leeds, particularly physically. So I'll leave it to Ralph and hope he gets it right. COYR

3

Blogs 31 bloggers

Southampton Polls