With two of the league’s meanest backlines going head-to-head we probably shouldn’t be surprised by the outcome. Yesterday’s goalless clash at St Mary’s was a day to forget as the clean sheet returns continue to arrive at a frantic pace:
Saints Burgeoning Backline
Mauricio Pochettino’s side may be toiling up top but when it comes to keeping out their opponents, Southampton are proving one of the most reliable around. The 0-0 draw against West Ham means that the Saints have now conceded just twice in the first four Gameweeks and have maintained the solidity that saw that ship just nine goals in the last 10 fixtures of the previous campaign. The upcoming schedule hints at more of the same – home games against Palace, Swansea, Fulham and Hull, supplemented with a trip to Stoke in the next seven continue to make Artur Boruc look a real bargain between the sticks, while Jose Fonte is benefitting substantially from the new Bonus Points System and is now up to 28 points in Fantasy Premier league (FPL), third top for defenders. Luke Shaw’s owners will be somewhat relieved after the left-back was subbed off towards the end of the match – injury fears were quickly allayed when he took to twitter to reveal his withdrawal was merely down to cramp.
Jaaskelainen the Hammers Hero
Another game, another clean sheet for Sam Allardyce’s side as the Hammers had Jussi Jaaskelainen to thank for a number of crucial saves. The Finnish stopper has moved up to second in the keeper rankings thanks to yesterday’s endeavours, with an extra save point and couple of bonus points taking his tally to 24 for the season – four more than any other West Ham defensive option. With four fixtures done and dusted, Jaaskelainen has been beaten just once, in a narrow 1-0 defeat at home to Stoke last time out, and with a home clash against an Everton side with a single goal in three preceding a trip to Hull, those holding West Ham defensive options will be optimistic of further returns. Back-to-back matches against Spurs, City, Swansea and Villa from Gameweek 7 onwards will test Wet Ham’s resolve, though Jaaskelainen can be expected to pick up plenty of save points to further his impressive tally.
Hammers Lack Cutting Edge
Yesterday’s result merely underlines just how much the Hammers miss the influence of Andy Carroll up top. Having finished the previous season with four goals and three assists in his final seven games, Carroll was expected to rack up the points in light of West Ham’s kind run of fixtures but his absence of injury has hindered the Hammers – barring a 2-0 win over Cardiff in Gameweek 1, they have stuttered in front of goal and have now registered three successive blanks. Carroll’s absence has clearly dented Kevin Nolan’s Fantasy appeal and with Modibo Maiga unable to over the same sort of threat up top, Allardyce will be desperate for free signing Mladen Petric to prove his fitness as he looks for alternatives in a desperate bid to turn the draws into victories.
Another Blank for Lambert
While West Ham can cite Carroll’s absence as a legitimate reason for their blunted attack, Pochettino’s side have no such excuses. The Saints boss fielded club record signing Pablo Osvaldo alongside Rickie Lambert up top as he opted for a 4-4-2 with Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez on the flanks but the former AS Roma man failed to reproduce the form that saw him notch 16 times in Serie A last time. For as much as they have impressed at the back, it seems this resolve has come at the cost of Southampton’s attacking ability – they have now scored a mere five times in their last 10 league games, with Rickie Lambert scoring just twice (once from open play) over that run. The England forward’s owners will likely keep faith due to the above-mentioned run of games but he’ll need to start producing to prevent a Fantasy exodus.
Post-match, Pochettino reckons much has to do with changing the dynamic to accommodate new boy Osvaldo but is convinced the results will soon arrive:
“There has been a lot more chemistry between all of our attacking players. Osvaldo arrived late to the group, so it is natural that it takes a little longer to get into the form of the team. You can see they are starting to mix well together, so it is only a matter of time before things start to work out positively for us.”
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