Southampton have had a pretty topsy-turvy season by all accounts.
Russell Martin joined the South Coasters in a difficult position after they’d finished rock bottom the season prior, suffering relegation from the Premier League.
The former Swansea boss endured a concerning patch during his early tenure and admitted his players had ‘scar tissue’ remaining.
Speaking after a 1-0 defeat to Ipswich Town back in September, Martin said: “That comes from deep-rooted problems from last year’s disappointment, the scar tissue of that, some of the lads have that playing here at the moment and it’s not an excuse, I think it’s quite evident when we have a disappointment on the pitch it really hurts us and really affects us, so it’s a brilliant opportunity for us to get together, to stand up, be brave and come through it together, because if we do we’ll be so much stronger for it when we do.”
Since then, a number of his first-teamers have really developed and taken to his system and whilst they aren’t likely to go up automatically, they’re firmly in the play-offs.
Here are the three most improved players…
Adam Armstong
This one won’t be much of a surprise.
Adam Armstrong played a bit part role last season and managed to find the net just three times across all competitions.
Under the stewardship of Martin, albeit at a lower level, he’s been Saints’ talisman and one of the best players in the division.
Armstrong has netted a whopping 20 league goals whilst laying on 11 assists, which puts him in an elite Southampton club.
Joe Aribo
He’s had to be patient at points this term, but of late, Joe Aribo has really flourished in Southampton’s midfield.
The 27-year-old has started the last three games and against Coventry City, he was arguably the standout performer.
Here were his incredible stats:
- 83 minutes
- 68 touches
- 87% accurate passes
- 2 key passes
- 8/13 duels won
It seems he’s really earned Martin’s trust and will be playing an integral role in his side ahead of the play-offs.
Jan Bednarek
Jan Bednarek has been an ever-present in Martin’s team, starting 35 of the 40 Championship fixtures this term.
He spent the first half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, which left his future on the South Coast uncertain. So to be one of the first names on the teamsheets now, it’s been a pretty remarkable turnaround.
Bednarek is the fourth highest-rated member of Southampton’s squad in the Championship with an average of 7.25, as per Fotmob.