Southampton had the third best attack in the Championship last season scoring 87 league goals, but the Saints have been struggling with their finishing in front of the goal in the Premier League. Their goalscoring issues stems from the departure of in-form goalscorer Che Adams to Serie A side Torino on a free transfer and last season’s top goalscorer Adam Armstrong’s dip in form in the Premier League.
Southampton signed Ben Brereton Diaz as Adams replacement but the £6 million star’s inconsistent start to the season has led manager Russell Martin to try different front three formations in the first seven league matches. Recently, Martin opted to give Ross Stewart his first start for Southampton against Arsenal but the 28-year-old picked up a muscle injury, just weeks after recovering from his previous hamstring injury.
Russell Martin should make surprising centre forward decision against Leicester City
This led to Martin bringing Cameron Archer earlier in the first half itself, and while Archer scored a brilliant goal to give the 1-0 lead, the 22-year-old shouldn’t be started as a centre-forward against Leicester City. This is due to the fact that Southampton don’t have an in-form left-winger at the club, and Archer could thrive on the left flank. The £15 million new signing oozes quality with his world-class positioning and blistering pace as a forward; thus, his creativity and dribbling can help Southampton create more goalscoring opportunities inside the final third.
On top of that, Archer’s game awareness was evident against Arsenal, as he made a great run inside the Arsenal half and took a few touches before his calm and composed finish to find the back of the net. For the centre forward position, Martin should give Onuachu his first Southampton start in the ongoing 2024/25 season. In the previous match, Onuachu came as a second half substitute around the hour mark and the Saints looked a more balanced side in the attack, with Archer and Dibling laying off some good passes towards the 30-year-old striker.
Moreover, Onuachu’s physicality and aerial ability can be an invaluable asset for Russell Martin’s side as they face Leicester City, who have the rock-solid defensive partnership of Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes. If Onuachu can work on improving his finishing inside the box, the Nigeria international can score some important goals against Leicester City, Wolves and Everton in the upcoming matches.
Now, it remains to be seen whether manager Russell Martin decides to start a front three of Cameron Archer, Paul Onuachu and Tyler Dibling against Leicester City.
