12 The Official Fulham FC Matchday Programme
THE
AWAY
END
S
outhampton have made
it to four FA Cup Finals,
winning the trophy as a
second-tier side in 1976. The last
time Saints reached the Final
was in 2003 when they were
beaten by Arsenal in Cardiff.
Last season Southampton
defeated Norwich City after
a Third Round Replay before
crashing out 5-0 at home to
Arsenal in the next stage. Saints
were already Wembley bound by
then for the EFL Cup Final, which
they lost 3-2 to Manchester
United. In the Premier League,
Southampton finished eighth - a
fourth consecutive top-10 finish.
Last summer saw Saints
decide on a change of manager
with Claude Puel making way
for Argentine coach Mauricio
Pellegrino. Puel had been in
charge for just one season having
himself replaced Ronald Koeman
in June 2016.
Saints completed a record
signing for the second year
running with the arrival of
Juventus midfielder Mario
Lemina. Two new defenders
arrived at St Mary’s in the shape
of Poland international Jan
Bednarek from Lech Poznan
and Lazio centre-back Wesley
Hoedt. One notable departure
was that of striker Jay Rodriguez
who headed for West Bromwich
Albion. This month, defender
Virgil van Dijk completed an
eye-watering £75m switch to
Liverpool, a world record fee for
a defender.
Southampton started the season
with successive home games,
beating 10-man West Ham
United 3-2 in the latter. Saints
lost just once in the opening five
matches, during which they
recorded their only away win
to date with a 1-0 triumph at
Crystal Palace. However, a run of
just one win in nine games has
seen them slip to 17th.
Saints will need to improve in
the second half of the campaign
if they’re to achieve another top-
half finish.
Words: Bob Cain & Leigh Edwards
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