Team Focus: Premier League Preview Part 7 - Norwich and Southampton
Norwich
Norwich may have ended last season in a standing that surpassed expectations once again but Chris Hughton was not fooled by their 11th placed finish, strengthening with some eye-catching signings this summer. The Canaries were just three points off the drop with two games remaining after a worrying lack of form in the second half of last season before a 4-0 thumping of West Brom ensured their safety.
Despite that win, Norwich's main issue last season was a lack of goals (41), with only Stoke and QPR netting fewer. No Canaries player was able to reach double figures in the league, while top scorer Grant Holt (8) was offloaded to Wigan to make way for a new look front line. The signing of Ricky van Wolfswinkel caught everyone off guard a little with the Dutch international, and former target of the likes of United and Newcastle, breaking the club's transfer record.
The 24-year old was joined by Celtic's Gary Hooper, of whom Hughton has been a long-term admirer, with the striker boasting an exceptional record across the border. With 63 league goals in 95 appearances for the Bhoys he is arguably the more astute of the two striking signings. Meanwhile Leroy Fer was another high profile addition, having almost signed for Everton in January, and the box-to-box midfielder put himself in the shop window by netting twice for the Netherlands at the Euro U21 Championships.
Sebastien Bassong is likely to remain a key player for the club and has been handed the captaincy after an excellent debut season at Carrow Road. A centre-back partner to the Cameroonian may be a priority, and with Whittaker back fully fit Russell Martin may get the chance to move inside and compete with Michael Turner.
Meanwhile, having John Ruddy back fit between the posts will feel like a new signing to the back line. The Canaries won 33% of their games with the England international, conceding 1.4 goals per game, compared to respective figures of 22% and 1.61 in the 23 games without him last season.
Elsewhere Nathan Redmond's acquisition was impressive, with the youngster having worked with Hughton at Birmingham, and he may play a more integral role as the season draws on, while wide man Robert Snodgrass will be pivotal to their success once again. The signs are all good for another successful bid to avoid relegation, but competition will be fierce in the bottom half and Norwich are likely to remain as one of the sides in the thick of it.
Position Last Season: 11th
New Signings (at time of writing): Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Sporting), Javier Garrido (Lazio), Martin Olsson (Blackburn), Carlo Nash (Stoke), Nathan Redmond (Birmingham), Leroy Fer (Twente), Gary Hooper (Celtic)
Possible Starting XI (4-4-2): Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Olsson; Snodgrass, Fer, Johnson, Pilkington; van Wolfswinkel, Hooper
Predicted Finish (Average of Authors): 15th
Southampton
Though they finished four places and five points below fellow newcomers West Ham it was Southampton who undoubtedly drew the most admiring glances of the promoted sides last season. A decent first half of last season saw many shocked when Nigel Adkins was replaced midway through the campaign by Mauricio Pochettino, but the Argentine quickly won over the crowd with his high-pressing style and passing football.
It seems the former Espanyol boss inherited a side that he was happy with, quickly securing long-term contracts for the likes of Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and last season's Player of the Year Morgan Schneiderlin. The Frenchman was a rock in Saints' midfield, making more tackles (146) and interceptions (139) than any other player in the league, whilst also chipping in with 5 goals at the other end.
The midfielder's partnership with Jack Cork under Pochettino was a real area of strength so the club's decision to bring in Victor Wanyama for a record fee was somewhat surprising. The signing caught many people by surprise as the Kenyan was linked to some top teams during the course of last season. Much of the attention came after domineering displays against Barcelona in the Champions League, netting in a historic 2-1 victory over the Spaniards as well as producing a game high of 6 tackles.
Southampton's only other addition has been that of Lyon centre-back Dejan Lovren, with their frailties at the back clearly an area of weakness. No side scored more own goals last season (5), while only three teams (Arsenal, along with relegated QPR and Wigan) produced more individual errors leading to goals (11). However, the stats suggest that the Croatian may not be the man to prevent such mishaps having picked up the most red cards in Ligue 1 last season (3) as well as conceding 2 penalties in the campaign.
The team's playing style under the tutelage of Pochettino saw them produce more tackles and interceptions per game than any other Premier League side last season. In turn they will have put in the hours in pre-season to ensure that their fitness levels don't drop. Many will look out for the progression of Luke Shaw at left-back, and rightly so, while Jay Rodriguez has also taken up a key role since the change in management.
Although they haven't been particularly active in the transfer market thus far the signing of Wanyama alone was a statement of intent from the club. Often teams struggle with ‘second season syndrome’ but you don't get that impression with this Southampton side, who may well kick on towards the top half this time around.
Position Last Season: 14th
New Signings (at time of writing): Dejan Lovren (Lyon), Victor Wanyama (Celtic)
Possible Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Boruc; Clyne, Lovren, Yoshida, Shaw; Wanyama, Schneiderlin; Rodriguez, Ramirez, Lallana; Lambert
Predicted Finish (Average of Authors): 11th
