
Premier League Preview (4/6)
We continue with our Premier League preview series, looking at Manchester United, Southampton and Stoke City.
Here’s links to the previous parts:
Note: All numbers are drawn from Squawka and Whoscored. All lineups posted are based off minutes played, not quality.
Manchester United, 6th
The Jose Mourinho-Pep Guardiola rivalry renewed itself in Manchester this season although in terms of league performance it wasn’t much of a contest. United lost less games than City but drew 15 games, the most in the league, which ensured they were never a title threat. In that regard, the season could be considered disappointing considering the massive signings of Bailly, Mkhitaryan, Pogba and Ibrahimovic. Pogba’s, of course, is the current highest transfer fee in history at $120 million. They did win the Europa League, giving them Champions League football, as well as the Capital One Cup. They’ve splashed the cash so far this window as well, signing Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof.
Playing Style:

It’s tough to list a preferred lineup for United given the amount they rotated the squad throughout the season. Pogba, De Gea and Ibrahimovic (until his injury) were the only certainties as they had 18 different players start 15 or more games in just the league. Mourinho teams have often been criticized for being defensive and sterile, clinical in their quality but boring to watch. However, with the creative talents of the likes of Ibrahimovic and Pogba, they played a positive brand of football that the Old Trafford faithful were accustomed to under Sir Alex Ferguson. They averaged the fifth most possession in the league with the fourth least in their own third of the field. Their problem was poor finishing. They had the fourth-most shots in the league but scored just 54 goals while the rest of the top 6 scored over 75. The reason for their high finishing despite not scoring many was, as a Mourinho team, they never lost their defensive stability. They conceded the second least goals in the league and averaged the second most interceptions per game. Despite them conceding more shots than Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, the locations of these shots tells a better story. 47% of the shots United faced were from outside the box, the highest in the league. Herrera was a big part of this as his duty was to close down any player outside the box while not having the same attacking responsibility as Pogba. After winning the ball back they would play it to the wings, using the likes of Martial, Rashford, Mkhitaryan and Mata who would overlap with the full backs before crossing it in. They were tied for the second most crosses per game but that figure would have gone up had Ibrahimovic stayed fit for the entire season.
Key Players:
- Paul Pogba, Midfielder:

The Prodigal Son and center of one of the most followed transfer sagas in recent memory, Pogba returned to his boyhood club with the expectation of dominating the league. However, as a central midfielder, he was never going to be a 40-goals-a-season kind of player and is instead a juggernaut in midfield. He led the team in dribbles, passes per game and long balls. He averaged the second most passes per game in the league and averaged more key passes than anyone else in the top 10. However, his domination of United’s game could be a weakness given his poor shooting stats this season. He averaged the eighth most shots per game in the league and only picked up 5 goals, a big reason for United’s poor scoring form.
2) Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Striker:

The Swede finally came to the Premier League, one of the few elite European leagues he hasn’t played and dominated in. His size, strength and ball control made him a terror for defenders, impossible to mark and too good to leave free. One of the best free agent signings ever, he was United’s only consistent attacking threat. He picked up 17 goals and 5 assists, accounting for 40% of United’s league goals despite missing the last 10 games. Without his performances in the first half of the season, United might have been battling for top 7. An untimely knee injury in April cost him the end of the season and the rumored contract extension, but his recovery is supposedly ahead of schedule and he could re-sign with the Red Devils in January.
Important Games:
1) 0–4 at Chelsea, 10/23/16
A devastating loss for Mourinho at his twice former club, this was Chelsea’s third win on their 13-game winning streak. United went on a 25-game undefeated run in the league after this loss, although 12 of those games were draws and they ended up still in sixth. This game saw Mourinho outmatched in ways he was considered the master: United had the possession, territorial and shots advantage, but it didn’t count for anything as Conte’s 3–4–3 continued to take over the league.
2) 0–2 at Arsenal, 5/7/17
This loss ended the aforementioned 25-game undefeated run but had larger ramifications. This loss meant United went into the last 3 games 4 points behind 4th placed Liverpool with a game against Tottenham still to come. Although never publicly stated, it could be inferred that this game shifted the focus of the team from the Premier League to winning the Europa League to qualify for the Champions League.
Areas to Strengthen:
United need to score more goals. As ridiculous as that statement would have been in the Ferguson-era, it holds true now. Amazingly enough, they find themselves in a position that they haven’t been in for over a decade: lacking a proven first-team striker. Ibrahimovic’s injury was truly unfortunate as it was clear he had another season in him. Lukaku is a proven Premier League quality striker, but moving to a new club is challenging to all but the elite. Getting rid of Rooney was a sad moment but one that was a long time coming. It seems as though the likes of Martial and Rashford will be given more attacking responsibilities, something they’ve thrived at in the limited opportunities they’ve received so far. Apart from that, the team needs to find a way to be more clinical. Ibrahimovic and Pogba are two players who have below average conversion rates but make up for it by generating plenty of chances to convert. The hope for the team is that Lukaku will continue his recent form of being one of the most clinical strikers in the league. Replacing Carrick has been another concern given his age and duty. They lacked another good deep lying playmaker who can sit back and get the ball with consistency and accuracy to the likes of Pogba, Martial, Mata and Lingard. Matic is a very good signing in that vein given his defensive ability and aerial threat.
Southampton, 8th.
Southampton had an underwhelming season after finishing 6th in 2015–16, ahead of Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton. This was expected after they lost Mane, Pelle and Wanyama to Liverpool, the Chinese Super League and Tottenham respectively. The biggest loss was of manager Ronald Koeman who chose to go to Everton. Claude Puel did the best he could, signing Sofiane Boufal, Manolo Gabbiadini, Pierre-Emile Hojberg and Nathan Redmond. However, the ambitions of The Saints lie beyond eighth placed finishes and they did not renew Puel’s contract, instead appointing Mauricio Pellegrino as their new manager. So far, they’ve only made one signing: Jan Bednarek, a center back from Lech Poznan.
Playing Style:

Southampton rotated their squad a ton over the course of the league campaign, using 26 players. They utilized a good strategy of letting the established players like Forster, Van Dijk, Romeu, Bertrand and Tadic retain their starting positions while gradually giving more minutes to the new signings to incorporate them. Like Manchester United, they suffered from a finishing problem. They generated the most shots in the league outside of the top 6 but scored the least goals in the top 15. Their reliance on crossing despite not having a strong header of the ball anymore was their biggest downfall. They averaged 25 crosses a game, the most in the league, but scored just 4 headed goals, the second least in the league. When Pelle was there, the strategy worked as the Italian would lay it off for the likes of Tadic and Mane. They seemed unable to think of a Plan B without a real target man. In fact, they averaged less shots on target than Everton despite averaging more shots a game, an indicator of poor shooting. The crosses were a team effort with 6 players averaging a cross a game in addition to 16 other players who attempted crosses throughout the season. An interesting aspect to their crossing game is the lack of traditional wingers. Tadic and Ward-Prowse aren’t as quick or prone to take a player on like Mirallas or Lamela but make up for it by their passing. By employing 5 midfielders as opposed to 3 midfielders and 3 attackers, Southampton enjoyed a passing advantage which led to their high possession stats, the seventh best in the league. They also spent the second most time in the league in the middle third of the field, further proving their emphasis on midfield domination.
Key Players:
- Oriol Romeu, Midfielder:

The former Chelsea player and Barcelona youth product has been the defensive rock at the heart of the Saints’ midfield for the past 2 seasons. He averaged the fourth most tackles and eighth most interceptions in the league as his role of midfield destroyer was played perfectly. He was also good with the ball at his feet as he averaged 59 passes a game, the most for Southampton, while averaging just under one successful dribble a game. At the age of 25, he hasn’t even begun to peak and it will be fascinating to see his progress given Southampton’s high expectations.
2) Virgil Van Dijk, Defender:

The Dutchman has been at the center of a publicly drawn out transfer saga with Liverpool but it’s clear that his quality has made him a hot commodity. He was injured toward the end of January and missed the rest of the season and it’s clear that his absence is what cost Southampton a chance at top-7. In the 16 league games he missed, Southampton won just 5 and lost 9 compared to 7 wins and 7 losses in the 23 games he played. While he wasn’t the most prolific tackler, leaving that to Romeu, he was the team’s best interceptor and averaged the sixth most interceptions in the league. In fact, with him and Romeu, Southampton are the only other team beside Arsenal to have more than one player in the top ten interceptors in the league (according to WhoScored).
Important Games:
1) 3–0 at West Ham, 9/25/16
This early win would signal a long spell of Southampton inconsistency that carried on throughout the season. This was their first consecutive league win of the season and they wouldn’t win back-to-back league games again until February/March.
Areas to Strengthen:
The Premier League becomes more competitive every season and it’s hard to predict where anyone will turn up. It’s clear that Southampton see themselves as on the cusp of breaking into England’s elite but may have to temper expectations. For now, their biggest challenge is proving themselves to be better than the blue half of Merseyside. Everton poached their manager to great success, the difference between the two clubs was just one league position but 15 points separated them. Given how the two clubs have had completely opposite windows so far, it will be interesting to see how they fare. Everton have gone on a spending spree with Koeman having a season’s worth of experience with his team while Southampton have appointed a brand new manager and have made just one signing. The situation could go either way as Everton’s new signings may struggle to play with one another while Southampton’s established team may hit the ground running because of their season of playing together. This is also Pellegrino’s first time in the Premier League and it’s up to the players to make the manager acclimated as quickly as possible. Finding a finisher is key for the club. Whether that means the likes of Austin, Redmond, Gabbiadini and Long coming good or signing someone brand new, Southampton need to make all their passing and crossing have an end product.
Stoke City, 13th
After three consecutive ninth placed finishes, Stoke dropped off and finished thirteenth, scoring less and conceding more than the previous three years. Under Mark Hughes, the Potters have shied away from the brutish, Route One football that they became associated with and have moved to a more passing and dribbling oriented style of play They bought Joe Allen and Saido Berahino (in January) and loaned Bruno Martins Indi prior to the start of last season. The signings worked when it came to passing and defending, not so much for scoring. So far this window, they’ve signed free agent Darren Fletcher as well as loaned Kurt Zouma from Chelsea while losing Arnautovic, Whelan and Walters to West Ham, Aston Villa and Burnley respectively.
Playing Style:

The old adage of playing on a ‘cold, rainy night in Stoke’ was a reference to how tough it is to beat this team. While the style of football is no longer the same, the point rings true. They didn’t win too many, but they did not lose easily. They lost the least games outside of the top 7, tied with Southampton and Bournemouth who they finished five and four spots behind respectively. With the likes of Shaquiri and Arnautovic, and Joe Allen to get the ball to them, there was obvious attacking talent in the team. For the first half of the season, they rotated between Crouch and Bony, two strikers who are known for their physical stature rather than individual skill. Berahino was expected to be more complete in his skillset and compliment the midfielders but he just could not find the back of the net which really hampered their second half of the season. They picked up 27 points in 21 games before his arrival compared to 17 in 17 after he signed. In addition to not scoring any goals, he didn’t pick up any assists either and Crouch was made the starting striker for the end of the season. They didn’t have any players score in double digits with Crouch’s 7 being their highest. By starting two wingers who have a tendency to shoot, Stoke were one dimensional as it was obvious they were never going to play wide. 69% of their shots were from the middle of the field, the most in the league, with just 14% from the left, the least in the league. Interestingly enough, they conceded the fourth most shots from their left side in the league (20%), indicating how they favored their right for attacking and defending. This was probably due to having Pieters on the left, a more attacking-minded full back than the experienced Glen Johnson on the right. Arnautovic on the left also didn’t help given his tendency to drift around the field when not in position instead of closing down.
Key Players:
- Marko Arnautovic, Winger:

The enigmatic Austrian wasn’t as lethal as in 2015–16 but was still the most important cog of the Stoke City machine. He picked up 6 goals and 5 assists, accounting for over a quarter of their goals, while averaging the most dribbles and having the most key passes. Losing him was probably the worst thing that could have happened as there aren’t too many players with his talents who Stoke could attract. The likes of Stanislas and Lennon would be good replacements but given their clubs are in much better positions, it’s unlikely they would want the move. Dimitri Payet would be Arnautovic’s spiritual successor given his mercurial talent and poor attitude but it’s unlikely any club will shell out money for him after his West Ham stint.
2) Joe Allen, Midfielder:

The former Liverpool player found his niche as the creative force of The Potters. Apart from being one of the most accurate passers on their team, he also picked up 6 goals and 2 assists. In fact, his all-round play is one of the only redeeming aspects of Stoke City’s season. Apart from averaging almost 30 passes a game (a ton by Stoke standards) and the fourth most key passes per game for the team, he averaged almost two and a half tackles and almost two interceptions a game, stats higher than most of their defenders.
Important Games:
1) 3–1 vs Hull City, 4/15/2017
It’s clear a season was disappointing when the most memorable game was because of a goal scored. One of only 13 games where they scored more than one goal, this game is memorable for Shaquiri’s thunderbolt, a trademark goal from the Swiss.
Areas to strengthen:
Replacing Arnautovic is definitely a top priority given how important he was for them. Stoke have an extremely important advantage over almost every other low-mid table team: a proven, established manager with plenty of experience working with the team. Mark Hughes is a divisive figure but is a travelled manager who has spent over 4 years with Stoke. Having him offers stability in style of play; essentially the blueprints are set up, they just need to find the parts. The fact that Stoke haven’t been linked to any one yet is concerning for their fans, especially given how poorly they did last year. If Berahino doesn’t come good, they could be in for serious problems. However, Stoke is the kind of club that have become synonymous with the Premier League and seem too good to be relegated while not good enough for Europe. They’re too experienced and well-organized to get relegated but are missing a piece of the puzzle to take them to the next level like Southampton and Everton.

