Southampton’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg holds the key to Ralph Hasenhuttl overseeing another shock result when the Saints face Manchester City on Sunday.
On the chalkboard
Since Hasenhuttl took charge at St Mary’s, they have dealt out defeats to Champions League hopefuls Arsenal and fellow strugglers Huddersfield.
If his side are to deal another upset when the former league leaders come to town, he must return Hojbjerg to his midfield following his suspension, with Mario Lemina stepping in against West Ham.
City will arrive on the south coast on the back of a sudden drop in form, which has allowed Crystal Palace and Leicester to deal the Citizens their first consecutive league defeats of the season – something they avoided entirely during their latest title-clinching campaign.
The last time the Sky Blues lost two in a row in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola had only been manager for four months, and you have to go back to March 2016 for the last time they lost three on the bounce, when Manuel Pellegrini was still in charge.
Check out the video below for Emma Conybeare’s rundown of which clubs need what in the January transfer window…
Lemina struggled against West Ham
For Southampton to stand a chance of upsetting the odds again, Lemina cannot feature.
The former Juventus midfielder struggled to make an impact against West Ham on Thursday night, with just one of his 43 attempted passes being deemed as a long ball by WhoScored.
The 25-year-old also accounted for 4.6% of the time on the ball for either side, as the Saints favoured playing down the left-flank with Stuart Armstrong and Matt Targett.
Hojbjerg can step up to the task
Prior to being ruled out against the Hammers, the 23-year-old played a key part in Hasenhuttl’s first wins as Southampton boss.
Against Arsenal, the Danish international intercepted the ball more than any other midfielder and was involved in more of the action than any Saints figure. Hojbjerg continued to be key at Huddersfield, with a 100% tackle success rate and assisting Nathan Redmond’s opening goal.
Should he feature against City, he could cause Guardiola’s side problems with his forward runs and incisive central passes, as the Sky Blues continue to miss Fernandinho in the heart of their system.
Who should start in midfield vs Man City? Let us know in the poll below…
