Southampton Victorious in 'Best of the Rest' Contest with Swansea City

ST MARY’S STADIUM — Southampton displayed superior cutting edge on their way to a 3-1 victory over Swansea City on Saturday and in the process reaffirmed their status as “the best of the rest.”

Virgil van Dijk’s early header from a corner allowed the Saints to capitalise on an early spell of dominance, and after a scrappy end to the first half, the hosts came out and increased their lead, netting through Dusan Tadic’s deflected effort and Sadio Mane’s slick, rolled finish.

It was the third home game in a row in which they’ve scored two or more, building on the demolition of 10-man Norwich earlier in the month and the spirited, yet ultimately defeated, performance against Manchester United last weekend. The signs suggest Southampton are rediscovering their groove after a difficult start to the season.

After a valiant attempt at breaching the Premier League’s top four in 2014-15, the south coast club once again had to fend off the vultures circling for their better performers. The list of exiting players wasn’t nearly as long as the previous summer’s—in which Luke Shaw, Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Calum Chambers all left—but this time around, the personnel losses were more impactful.

Morgan Schneiderlin, linchpin of the midfield, and Nathaniel Clyne, overlapping extraordinaire from full-back, were big presences in Ronald Koeman’s XI, and the former, at least, has predictably proved he is irreplaceable.

With an injury to Ryan Bertrand and a sluggish attempt to replace Toby Alderweireld shadowing the start to the season, it perhaps wasn’t surprising the team struggled to find their feet early on.

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All the while, Swansea’s pre-season and summer recruitment spree had gone so smoothly it was scarcely believable: Jefferson Montero returned from the Copa America 2015 unscathed, Andre Ayew signed, Ki Sung-Yueng stayed and Garry Monk’s familiarity with the side continued to increase.

Pre-season projections—and those made three weeks into the season—had the Swans emerging as prime contenders to challenge the established elite alongside Tottenham Hotspur.

But this game, a genuine battle for the title of “best of the rest” (or seventh place) as well as a duel for Premier League points, underlined the obvious: Southampton, having now progressed through a short incubatory period, are a firm contender for that crown once again.

Garry Monk’s decision to go for a midfield diamond, benching Jefferson Montero, was a poor one. Southampton overloaded the flanks through Tadic, Pelle and the full-backs, creating room to cross and room to play passes inside on the edge of the box.

Montero entered the fray at half-time and proceeded to cause havoc on the left, skinning Cedric four times and creating the chance that led to Gylfi Sigurdsson’s penalty, but it was too little, too late at 3-0.

Koeman, on the other hand, decided to play James Ward-Prowse in holding midfield once again and reaped the rewards. He and Victor Wanyama provided the perfect platform to allow Sadio Mane and Co. to roam free in attack.

It was another display that sizzled in patches, and although a gritty patch in the first half saw neither side awarded any aesthetic points, it won’t dampen what was a clearly superior showing from the hosts.

With Chelsea, Leicester City and Liverpool the next three fixtures on the docket for Koeman, this surge in form will be most welcome, as the Saints look to translate performances into points and clamber up the table. With Van Dijk settling, Bertrand returning and Mane firing, there’s no reason they can’t upset the applecart a little and really spark their season.