Arriving in England along with Ronald Koeman, Graziano Pelle became an instant hit on the south coast at St Mary’s. 12 league goals, 16 in all competitions in his first season in England, Pelle became a key feature in the Southampton side that this season, will be playing in the Europa League. Having already scored one Europa League goal this season last week against Vitesse, just how far can Pelle take Southampton this season?
Southampton’s aims for this season are hard to define. With them hoping to progress further than the third qualifying round of the Europa League and getting into the group stages, Koeman seems determined not to let that get in the way of their league form, like it has with so many in the past. A 7th placed finish last season was an over achievement and with the change of personnel that took place at the club this summer,I can’t see them replicating a finish that high up the table.
If Southampton can make it through to the group stages of the Europa League, they have a deep enough squad meaning they could challenge on all fronts. They will be looking to secure another top half finish in the league and runs in the FA Cup and League Cup would be a hugely successful season for what still is a young Southampton team.
The main question is, how far can Pelle alone take this Southampton side? Already 30 years old, Pelle is in his prime as a forward, but I don’t expect him to play in all the competitions this season. With the re-introduction of Jay Rodriguez and the addition of Juanmi, Southampton now have other striker options compared to their last campaign. Koeman now has the ability to rotate his forward line, and I think he’ll do exactly that. What this means for Pelle’s impact on the Southampton side could be exactly the same as it was last season. I expect Pelle will feature heavily in the league campaign, and in the other three cup tournaments, FA Cup, Capital One Cup and Europa League, he will likely feature as a substitute more often than not due to Koeman’s rotation policy.
What Pelle brings to the Southampton line-up however won’t have changed from last season, or indeed for the rest of his career. As a target man and in the air, the Italian is almost unstoppable. Even the best Premier League defences last season couldn’t stop the big man scoring and that’s exactly what he brings which is something that the other Southampton strikers don’t necessarily have in abundance. Shane Long and Juanmi will bring pace and trickery and Jay Rodriguez brings clinical finishing and a hard working nature.
The way in which Pelle’s game could change in achieving Southampton’s goals this season is the potential link-up with new signing Juanmi. The old school “tall and small” partnership could work so well for Southampton, especially as Pelle’s game evolves around link-up play, laying the ball off to players around him and then getting into a good position in the middle of the box. If the two can hit the ground running, Southampton should have no problem doing well in all competitions this coming season.
The post How Graziano Pelle Can Lead The Way For Southampton This Year appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
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