Saints Are Upping The Tackling Stakes
Under Mauricio Pochettino Saints were famed for their pressing game and winning tackles, but the fact is that under Ronald Koeman the percentage rate has improved.
Last season Saints played a high tempo game that relied on pressing high up the field to win the ball and the team were lauded for their ability to do this.
Under Ronald Koeman the style has changed, it is a lot less about workrate in pressing the opposition but about playing a little deeper and attacking with speed, this means that in terms of possession in the main we don't have as much as we did last term, but so far we seem to be using it better, it is about quality not quantity.
One thing that doesnt change though is the need to win the ball, last season we averaged 21.2 tackles won per game, amazingly this season it has increased to 27.5, testimony that although our style has changed the quality has improved.
Likewise interceptions, another important part of the game, last term we made 13.9 per game and there is an improvement to 15 this time out.
Possession is obviously down a little but that is down to style and in the last minutes of the Newcastle game Saints showed they can still pass it when they get it, the 41 passes involving all 11 players ending with a great goal, something that didnt happen so much last season, all too often our great possession stats would be just that with no end product, sides just let us pass the ball around on the half way line with little penetration, a large proportion of our goals came from set pieces or when we got the ball up to Rodriguez quickly rather than controlled passing moves as with Schneiderlin's fourth against the Toon Army.
So how is our ex manager doing at Tottenham, well in fairness he has improved them a little, last season they averaged 19.8 tackles a game, this year its up to 22.5 so a slight improvement
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