At the start of last season Saints supporters knew exactly where the weak areas of the team where, the problems weren't addressed and Saints struggled because of it, now things are different.

You didn't need to be a resident pundit to know where the Saints problems would be when 2012/13 season kicked off, sadly those on the transfer committee didn't seem to make them priorities and because of that Saints endured an horrendous start leaking goals left right and centre which made it a season of firstlyplaying catch up and looking over our shoulder.

The arrival of Artur Boruc was not an instant success, but once he got his feet under the table he was key to Saints staying up, but defensively we weren't quite right and were still prone to defensive howlers despite Boruc's heroics.

If the transfer committee hadn't dealt with the problem last season they wasted no time in rectifying it once the transfer window opened, Dejan Lovren has to be one of the bargain signings in the Premier League and was just what was needed, a commanding presence who leads by example and already a contender for player of the year.

Victor Wanyama has also shored up a what was a leaky defence in that he stops problems before they arise in midfield, his arrival looked harsh on Jack Cork, but in fairness Wanyama has done exactly what he was signed for with his ability to break up play, the only downside is that in sorting out the defensive problems Saints have lacked something in attack as Wanyama does not have the passing ability of Jack Cork (some would say Jack Hargreaves) however good teams are built firstly from the back and that can be addressed.

What Saints have now done by filling the key areas is build a team with a true spine at the centre of it, in Boruc, Lovren and Wanyama you have true characters who don't shirk challenges and do the job they are paid to do, without being harsh on Wanyama though who has played his part perhaps the two real key men are Boruc and lovren, with due respect I couldn't have seen us getting a point in the last two matches if those two hadn't been playing, they have truly been the difference this season.

Those who have read my pieces over the years will know that I have always said that its not a sin to make a mistake, the real sin is to not learn from it and repeat it, last season we didn't sign players to compete, we signed players for show in the main, this summer has been different

Saints still need to improve though and if they can hang in that top ten till January a couple of more key signings might just make a bigger difference than we could dream.

Photo: Action Images

Kiwifiedpom1 added 23:09 - Oct 21 I generally agree with Nick. Howeer I still maintain that I prefer Cork to Wamyama because of Cork's better constructive game
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SaintNick added 23:59 - Oct 21 I think we have had to sacrifice some creativity to fit in wanyama, however I think he is better in breaking up play, what I cant understand though is why he now gets so little time on the pitch, he should have played a lot more than he has
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brady100 added 10:12 - Oct 22 I agree with comments on Wanyama, thought he had his best game in a Saints shirt on Sat however. On Cork its a difficult one, his style of play means he either plays from the start or not at all. I think Cork would start if there was an injury to MS or VW but we have players who can affect the game more positively from the bench in the last quarter e.g. JWP, perhaps more box to box and excellent set piece, Gaston etc.

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ExiledSupporter added 12:04 - Oct 22 Agree about the value to the team of Boruc and Lovren ( I felt v. uneasy about our prospects at Old Trafford when in the week there seemed to be some prospect of Davis playing in goal, given his inability to control the six yard box) On the other hand Wanyama's assertive defensive qualities have been a bonus, but as everyone says his passing is dire which undoes much of his ball winning achievements. For me the real issue is a lack of a No.10 because Ramirez has been a big disappointment and (because he is variously unfit, out of form or unable to adapt his game to our needs) whatever the case we don't have a creative midfielder that is good enough to match our ambitions (Lallana has some of the qualities but they're not displayed convincingly/regularly enough to be the medium term solution) The Ramirez problem is at the heart of our attacking failings and needs to be sorted asap. Either we and he commit to him playing regularly to the required standard or we loan someone (what about Kagawa as I suggested several weeks back) and look to off load him in January. What a pity we missed out on Coutinho in the summer. Other alternatives which might be worth trying is playing Schneiderlein at 10 and replacing him with Cork in front of the defence? Perhaps a bit risky? Okay, what about giving Guly a run at 10, I anticipate a lot of criticism for this suggestion too. Something has got to change: I'd like to see Rodrigues given a run in his best position since neither Osvaldo nor Lambert seem able to find their goal touch; JR runs the channels very well but we waste him playing out of position I also think we are so narrow without Puncheon and agree with the idea of borrowing someone like Zaha who seems unhappy in the Man U reserves

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bstokesaint added 12:53 - Oct 22 Agree with Brady about Cork. It's a difficult one. Whatever we're doing we're doing it right and it's hard making changes whilst that's the case. However Wanyama does seem a shoe-in for the first XI even after having some of his below par games. There is no doubt that Cork is a quality player and Saints fortunes were transformed somewhat last season when he returned from the Olympics. It was no coincidence. I think Wanyama should be tested more by being rotated with Cork when necessary. That way we get the best out of both of them.

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schatfield added 13:41 - Oct 22 agree with ExiledSupporter on Zaha. As soon as I read he wants to leave cos its a world cup year and all, I thought perfect, Saints should go for him on loan straight away. He will add that spark that Ramirez seems to lack (or our manager just doesnt like)...
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Whatsforpud added 16:22 - Oct 22 Exiledsupporter, for my education (and maybe others), is a' No.10' code for attacking midfielder?
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sheffieldsaint added 16:54 - Oct 22 Good article. I wouldn't disagree with it but would add Luke Shaws developing maturity and the the way Lalana, Morgan, Lambert and Fonte work as a unit, something they've done now since Div 1. Days.
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ExiledSupporter added 20:39 - Oct 22 Whatsforpud, as I understand it the No.10 role is one that is the lead attacking midfielder who has to be a good distributor of the ball, dictating play from the middle of the pitch and contributing a half dozen or more goals per season. Hope this makes sense. The lad Coutinho looks like a good contemporary example.
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brady100 added 10:20 - Oct 23 There is not a chance in hell Poch will sign Zaha. Our game is built just as much around work off the ball as well as on it. There is no doubt he has talent going forward but has big question marks over his temperament and he will not have the discipline required for our pressing game.
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TeamCortese added 22:58 - Oct 23 Zaha would be a perfect fit for Southampton. Firstly he's really young (20 to be precise). Secondly, he's played with Clyne before at CP and would add a bit more imagination to our attack. Defensively there are questions but I'm sure playing under MP we'll make him more disciplined as a player. Temperament wise you have got a point but I don't think he'll be much different to Osvaldo plus he'll be on loan. So if anything does kick off we can just give him back to Man Utd. I think the biggest stumbling block may be his wages and also whether Man Utd will want to loan him to us if we're still above them in the league.

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