Arron Sanders gives his opinion on the upcoming season and what can be expected from Will Still and his squad, after a pre season played mainly behind closed doors and very little given away about our managers preferences for his team and playing style so far.
We're just days away from the start of the 25/26 season for Saints which begins with the visit to St Mary's of the Disney backed Wrexham.
Whilst a second half revival in our last pre season outing against Premier League side Brighton will have injected some much needed confidence, it is still uncertain quiet what we can expect from Will Still's side come Saturday lunchtime.
Questions remain over both preferred personnel as well as a defined way of playing, a high press on the front foot with plenty of balls crossed into the box is what many a journalist or French football expert said we could expect from a Southampton side lead by their new young manager however as preseason went on we seemed to see less and less of this.
Perhaps this is due to another of Still's much appreciated skillset his adaptability, although reported he wants to play with a back 4 the turnaround against Brighton came on the back of switching to a back 5 and an ability to seamlessly switch between shapes could proven to be one of Saints' greatest assets this coming season.
In terms of personnel the fact that the transfer window remains open for a few more weeks after the season begins will no doubt be a hindrance for Southampton, with transfer speculation already surrounding the brighter talents of Tyler Dibling & Mateus Fernandes. Well respected journalist Adam Blackmore has hinted that Saints may well lose both before the deadline on September 1st.
Pressure will then be on Technical Director Johannes Spors, to replace both with the adequate fire power required to help fire Saints back to the Premier League at the first time of asking as they managed two seasons ago. Should Spors get those decisions right and enable Will Still to put together a settled starting eleven from the South Coast Derby onwards then I believe fans can look forward to another exciting Championship campaign ahead.