As we usher in the New Year, it’s safe to say that it has been an entertaining first half of the season for Southampton fans – although maybe not in terms of goalscoring.
The story of Saints’ campaign has largely been their struggle to find the back of the net, but there have certainly been some impressive results – and some poor ones too – along the way.
While there has been some criticism towards manager Claude Puel for his decision-making, it is sensible to point out that the club are better off than they were at this stage last season, when they eventually finished in sixth position to qualify for the Europa League.
They may have also suffered disappointment in Europe, but are now in the semi-final of a major cup competition – something that can’t be sniffed at considering their less than decorated past when it comes winning trophies.
We take a look back at Southampton’s season so far with ten incredible images…
Claude Puel
While Southampton are better off than they were at this stage in the Premier League last season and in the semi-finals of the League Cup, Claude Puel has come under criticism from some Saints supporters throughout the campaign.
The jury is still out for many, and the decision to rotate the squad on a regular basis has sometimes been met with disbelief from the fan base, while some results and performances have been especially poor.
But considering it is his first season managing in England and he is learning all the time, he has made a pretty satisfactory start.
Saints at the San Siro
When the draw for the Europa League group stages was made earlier in the season, Saints fans would have been dreaming of drawing Inter Milan and a trip to the San Siro.
It was a dream that became reality and around 7,000 supporters made the journey to Milan in October to cheer their team on.
However, the match followed a similar pattern to many the club have encountered this season – they dominated possession and chances, but after failing to take any of them were on the end of a sucker punch as Inter ran out 1-0 winners.
Inter Milan at St Mary’s
After the disappointing defeat in the reverse fixture, a sold-out crowd at St Mary’s cheered on Saints to a famous win against Inter Milan a fortnight later.
Things looked to be going against them when they trailed 1-0 at the break with Dusan Tadic missing a penalty on the stroke of half-time. But roared on by the supporters after the break, Van Dijk scored the equaliser before an own goal sent the fans into raptures – a famous night on the south coast.
Jose Fonte
Towards the end of the summer transfer window, the Portugal international was linked with a move to Manchester United, and it would seem as though something has certainly gone on behind the scenes between the Euro 2016 winner and manager Claude Puel.
The 33-year-old, who joined Saints in January 2010, failed to play a single minute of the club’s Europa League campaign, while he was dropped to the substitutes’ bench for the win at Bournemouth before Christmas.
Disappointing league defeats
While they’ve had some great results this season, there have also been plenty of poor ones, leading to Claude Puel coming under scrutiny from the Saints supporters on occasion.
Two that spring to mind are the away defeats to Hull City and Crystal Palace, who both ended six-match losing runs with wins against Southampton – with the latter a 3-0 defeat in which a Fraser Forster mistake gifted the Eagles the opening goal.
League Cup success
One of the great results of Saints’ season came in the quarter-finals of the League Cup against Arsenal at the Emirates.
While the Gunners made wholesale changes, the south coast outfit also made a number of alterations to their starting XI – but ran out 2-0 winners in north London to set up a two-legged semi-final tie against Liverpool in January.
The club hasn’t enjoyed much silverware in its history, so a trip to Wembley and the opportunity to lift a major trophy is certainly an exciting prospect for Southampton’s supporters.
Europa League blues
With them needing just a 0-0 draw or a win against Haopel Be’er Sheava to qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League, Saints supporters descended on St Mary’s in the hope of having another exciting European tie to look forward to.
However, it was a nervous and tense affair and when the hosts failed to take their chances, they were punished on the break. Despite Virgil van Dijk’s last-gasp equaliser, the night ended in disappointment for everyone involved with the club.
Virgil van Dijk
There is no doubt as to who has been Saints’ standout player this season – their Dutch destroyer in defence.
The Netherlands international has captained the side when Jose Fonte has been absent from the starting XI and as well as being colossal at the back and comfortable at bringing the ball out from defence, he’s also popped up with a few important goals.
Missed chances
As we have alluded to throughout this piece, Saints’ failure to convert their chances has been a huge part of why they have endured so many disappointments this season.
A prime example of this was in their goalless draw at Stoke, which saw Marko Arnautovic sent off halfway through the first period.
Despite their man advantage, Claude Puel’s side couldn’t find a breakthrough and Jay Rodriguez was one of those who missed a gilt-edged chance.
Jay Rodriguez
It is more than two years on from the terrible injury he suffered against Manchester City, and the striker is still trying to get back to his best form.
Rodriguez had looked slightly off the pace and low on confidence after missing some good chances against Middlesbrough and Stoke before the trip to Bournemouth.
However, the former Burnley man netted his first league goal since August and you saw the confidence come flooding back as he scored a stunning second goal, which was met with delight by his Saints teammates.