BPL talking points: Southampton for the Champions League? Why not!

PLUS; Will Sunderland recover from last weekend, and is Simon Mignolet good enough for Liverpool?

The clocks go back on Saturday night, so you know the football season is starting to crank up now. Last weekend saw goals, penalties, controversial decisions and a match even delayed by a faulty big screen just your average Premier League matchday then! Here’s five things to consider ahead of what we hope will be another exciting Saturday.

Can Mignolet show he’s worthy of being Reds’ no.1?

This blog will leave aside Mario Balotelli’s current woes for this week. Plus they were dealt with in a previous column. Let’s turn our attention instead to the other end of Liverpool’s team and namely goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. The Belgian is now in his second season at Anfield, but he is struggling to convince that he can be a Liverpool great for years to come, as it is just two clean sheets in in his last 21 games stretching back to March. The general verdict seems to be that Mignolet has done OK, but no better. In the goalkeeper’s time at the club, the defence has never been solid, and he has just conceded five goals in a week, with crosses being a particular weak point. It’s hard to recall too many games where Mignolet has saved his team with a match-winning performance, apart from maybe saving a last-minute penalty on his debut in a 1-0 win against Stoke in August 2013. When he was at Sunderland, there was a debate about whether Mignolet or Thibaut Courtois should be No.1 for Belgium. That is no longer up for discussion due to Courtois’ excellence for Atletico Madrid and now Chelsea. There is no real competition for Mignolet’s starting place at Anfield, but a strong performance against Hull would be reassuring for him. He needs a big statement that he is one of the most feared goalkeepers in the Premier League.

What is stopping Southampton from finishing in the top four?

The season is only two months old and Southampton are sitting comfortably in third place, ahead of a home game against Stoke City. No team has conceded fewer than their five goals, and only Chelsea have scored more. Although 8-0 wins do marvels for that statistic. But having watched some of the struggles of the bigger teams in recent weeks, why can’t Southampton put up a genuine fight for a Champions League spot? Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal all have far greater resources and vast pools of playing talent, yet all three have blatant weaknesses. The Saints don’t have anywhere near the squad depth, but they have an excellently balanced XI, while their summer recruitment has been spot on goalkeeper, central defender, playmaker and striker, with a few others added on. They have strengthened right down the spine with obvious impact. Ronald Koeman is doing very well as manager and is keeping calm, but can a superior ‘team’ outlast sides with better individuals? However, let’s not forget that Southampton lost only one of their first 11 games last season, before natural order was restored and they ended the season in eighth. The key is belief if they can shut out the idea that they are not supposed to finish in the top four, the Saints could gatecrash the lucrative Champions League party.

What response will we get from Sunderland?

Last Saturday was one of those results where you have to do a double take. Sunderland losing 8-0 at Southampton was a definite coupon buster, bearing in mind the Black Cats had only lost one of their opening seven games. Since he arrived 12 months ago, Gus Poyet had made Sunderland a hard team to beat, and one capable of giving everybody a game. Poyet admitted afterwards that he had learnt a lot about his players from that mauling at St Mary’s, and it will be interesting to see how many of the 14 players used are given an immediate chance of redemption in Saturday’s game against Arsenal. Another heavy defeat and they could be staring at a grim battle against relegation. Whereas a win or even a good draw and a line can slowly be drawn under events at Southampton, and they can all move on. It’s also worth remembering that 13 teams have lost a Premier League match by seven or more goals, yet only five of those were relegated in the same season as that hammering. Wigan even managed to lose 9-1 and 8-0 under Roberto Martinez in 2009/10 and stayed up. So, Sunderland’s task is to show that it was one bad day rather than the start of a deeper malaise.

Will Monk curb his enthusiasm for referee bashing?

It is only October, but Swansea City manager Garry Monk’s savage attack on referee Michael Oliver and Stoke player Victor Moses last Sunday was surely a contender for Rant of the Year. It is true that Moses went down very easily and won a cheap penalty from the referee, but did he deserve to be branded a cheat? I’m not so sure. The Premier League is football’s ultimate conservatory and any manager is on shaky ground when he starts throwing stones at other teams and players. What if a Swansea player wins a cheap penalty against Leicester this Saturday? Will Monk take the same moral high ground and express his displeasure? Or would he see the incident in a beneficial light for his own team? We probably know the answer to that. Monk’s anger last Sunday may have betrayed his own inexperience and the fact that Swansea had lost and have won none of their last five games in the league. But trotting out the idea that the Swans are being persecuted every week by bad decisions is a bit tiresome and will win little sympathy from referees and neutral spectators alike.

Is Berahino worthy of England?

A quick glance at the Premier League goalscorers’ chart finds Saido Berahino in the unlikely position of leading Englishman. His six goals in eight games put him in joint third place at this stage with only Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero netting more so far. Throw in his efforts in the cup and for England Under-21s and it’s a very impressive ten in 14. At only 21, Berahino is already becoming West Brom’s most important player and he is having to take on most of their burden for scoring goals as he plays up front on his own. Goals against Liverpool and Manchester United in his last two appearances for the Baggies hint at his growing confidence, and he must be making a good case to Roy Hodgson. The England manager will have seen Berahino as a teenager when he was in charge at The Hawthorns and should know about his qualities. But all the 21-year-old can do is keep scoring goals. With Daniel Sturridge injured and Rickie Lambert struggling for games and goals at Liverpool, there could be an opening for next month’s internationals against Slovenia and Scotland. Another goal against Crystal Palace can only strengthen Berahino’s argument.