CHELSEA v SOUTHAMPTON:BRIEFING

CHELSEA v SOUTHAMPTON:BRIEFING

Posted by David Aniemeka on Friday, 29 November 2013 0

It's a top-five encounter at the Bridge to bring the
curtain down on this weekend's top-flight
programme. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club
statistician Paul Dutton prepare for a meeting with
the Saints…
TALKING POINTS
The corresponding fixture last season was Nigel
Adkins' last in charge of Southampton. The
unheralded Mauricio Pochettino has fared remarkably
well since then with his high-energy pressing game.
He has used the joint fewest players so far this
season: 19. (Chelsea have fielded 23.)
Southampton have earned the dubious honour of
being this season's 'surprise package'. In 2012/13
that was bestowed on West Bromwich Albion, fourth
at this stage, destined to finish eighth. Previous
campaigns have highlighted Newcastle United and
Bolton Wanderers going into December, with mixed
endings.
Whether Southampton's energy will last the course,
and whether teams work out ways to outwit them
over the second half of the season, remain to be
seen.
As we bid a not-so-fond farewell to November it is
worth a reminder that Saints are two points behind
Chelsea, and just four points separate Liverpool in
second and Tottenham in ninth. So inconsistent are
the majority of top half sides that a team stringing
together three or four wins could steal a march
before Christmas - a tough period only the brave
survive, as Jose Mourinho has said.
Sent From David Aniemeka