Will Charlie Austin Make His First Start For Saints In West Ham Game ?
Saturday, 6th Feb 2016 11:55

Will Ronald Koeman choose to make attack his first form of defence and start Charlie Austin in the game against West Ham United at St Mary's this evening.

Charlie Austin could be in line for his first starting game in a Saints shirt in what will be his home debut when Saints take on West Ham United this evening.

After missing the trip to Arsenal, Austin is fit again and the question is whether Ronald Koeman will risk him from kick off or hold him back as he did up at Old Trafford for what turned out to be a dream debut.

The dilemma for Koeman today is who to play up top, the Dutchman looks set to stay with a back four and a five man midfield but he has three options for the central striking role.

He could stick with Shane Long who has done so well there in January and in truth deserves his place in the starting line up, but he could drop the Irishman back into an attacking wide role and then it would be a straight choice between starting Graziano Pelle in the role he has done so well in both last and this season or going with Charlie Austin.

All three options have their respective merits and I think this highlights how strong the squad is these days.

If Koeman opts for either Pelle or Austin then someone has to go from the midfield, the two real men at risk are Sadio Mane and Dusan Tadic from the Arsenal game.

Both did not have great games at the Emirates but both for perhaps differing reasons, in Tadic's case it was due to the fact that he is an attacking players and the truth is when you have the ball and are on the offensive he is a great option to have, but when you are on the back foot as hard as he will work, it is not really his game.

From a Mane perspective the Senegalese striker is working hard and turning what could be a terrible performance into merely an average one, but is confidence is gone and he desperately needs a goal, Koeman knows that if he drops Mane it could shatter that fragile confidence but if Mane was to stay in the side and score then it could re ignite his season and by default give Saints a great boost.

It is never easy to second guess Ronald Koeman in team selection, he is a master at using his squad and making subtle changes to win games when he has all the options at his disposal.

I think he will start with Pelle with Long dropping back a little and Tadic on the bench, reverting to the attacking line up along with Mane that served Saints so well not only earlier this season but last.

That is some goalscoring firepower, but when you also consider that Koeman will also have Austin and Tadic to come off the bench that highlights the strengths of the squad these days.

Then there is the question of the central three midfielders, even without Davis he has Wanyama, Clasie, Romeu & Ward Prowse and that is some depth, he has rotated them in our unbeaten run and none of them have let him down either starting or off the bench.

Photo: Action Images

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