Opposition View: Southampton

Norwich take on Southampton this weekend in the first game of 2016. Ahead of this, we spoke to Read Southampton editor Luke Osman, to find out more about Saturday’s opposition.

Who should Norwich be wary of?

Definitely Sadio Mane. His pace, trickery and presence is enough to scare a team. It’s been pretty tough for him this year as after such an incredible campaign last time round, a lot of pressure and reliance was forced upon him. However, he is still by far our most dangerous asset.

Which Norwich player do you fear the most?

I fear Dieumerci Mbokani the most. We’ve struggled this season to cope with powerful players despite having quite a physically gifted squad and given our marking this season, Mbokani could have quite a lot of chances against us.

Southampton’s season hasn’t been up to the standard of the previous two, with record finishes and European qualification. What do you think that is down to?

I think it’s a case of losing too many players over the course of two years. Last season we were pretty brilliant but I genuinely think it was down to two players; Toby Alderweireld and Morgan Schneiderlin. Although we’ve replaced these players, maybe not to the same standard, we’ve not improved our squad as much as the other team around us, causing them to leave us behind a little bit.

How much business do you expect Saints to do in the window?

I’d hope for quite a lot, really. I’d say we need another right-back, an out and out striker and a winger who can actually cross a ball. However, knowing us, it’ll be a £5 million player from the Eredivise that will have minimal impact.

Where do you think Saints will finish?

I think we’ll finish 13th. The teams that I thought were about our standard such as Everton, Palace and Stoke don’t seem to be slowing down and we still don’t look too good, so a mid-table finish would be no surprise.