Liverpool v Southampton | Opposition Preview

Written by: Daniel Ghorbal @GhorbalDanAfter a crushing 9-0 defeat at home to Leicester City in October, the writing was on the wall for Southampton manager Ralph Hassenhuttl, but a drastic turn in form has seen the Saints shoot up the table and firmly away from the relegation picture. Their form, notably away from home, has been superb and a justification of the performances they have been producing. Prior to the Leicester defeat, Hassenhuttl felt as if his side deserved to be higher in the table than they were, but due to a combination of poor officiating/ missed chances, games were narrowly getting away from them, despite producing decent performances.Now, they are more than capable of dominating games for 90 minutes and having a result to go alongside that. They have found a starting team that has a well-balanced structure, with the composure of Stephens and Bednarek, the steel and energy of Hoijberg and Ward-Prowse, and the attacking flair of Redmond and Ings.When you think of Southampton this season you think of Danny Ings. The ex- Liverpool player has been in scintillating form for the Saints this season, scoring 14 league goals and beating his record-total with 14 games still to play. Ings has utilised his poacher’s instincts on many an occasion, scoring goals that certainly aren’t utopian yet show how intelligent he is as a player.Ings will know that he will have to mix his game up against Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez, yet his footballing brain and ability to adapt to games will give Southampton the chance to pose a threat going forward. Nathan Redmond has played a huge role in the Ings success story, with the latter having a free role in the side to charge at defences and create space for his forward line. He has begun to hit form recently and will be a player that Liverpool need to look out for on Saturday afternoon.

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Defensively, Southampton have improved vastly in the last 2 months too. After shipping 9 to Leicester in a catastrophic defensive display, it was hard to see a way back for them, but Hassenhuttl has managed to find a settled back 4 that has kept impressive clean sheets against Chelsea, Tottenham and Crystal Palace amongst others. Cedric, Stephens, Bednarek and Redmond have marshalled the back 4 brilliantly and with an energetic in front of them, Liverpool may find it difficult to find gaps early on. Despite this, the loan signing of Kevin Walker-Peters from Tottenham Hotspur suggests that Cedric Soares could be on his way out, with Arsenal said to be interested in the Portuguese European Championship winner.Whether Walker-Peters will come into the side against Liverpool is yet to be seen, but with Soares’ departure expected, will Hassenhuttl try and embed him in to the side as early as possible?In my opinion, this has the potential to be an uncomfortable afternoon for Liverpool, one in which they’ll probably win but have to work for the 3 points. Southampton have superb energy levels and will leave everything on the pitch. An early goal for the Reds would make it incredibly difficult for the Saints, yet at the same time, a resolute display from Southampton with an aim to play on the counter-attack could be an effective game-plan.Written by: Daniel Ghorbal @GhorbalDan