Dec 14

Southampton - Team & Player Guide 2015/16 - Fantasy Premier League Tips

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We're teaming up with knowledgable fans ahead of the 2015/2016 Fantasy Premier League season to get some tips on their players potential, starting lineups, transfers and much more. This article will focus on Southampton who will be looking to improve on their impressive 2014-2015 campaign, but once again have suffered losses to big names such as Clyne and Schneiderlin. Saints fan Dean from /r/saintsfc has provided us with his expert insight in to the club and hopefully his predictions and player analysis will help you choose which Southampton players should make your FPL teams. Dean will also be at hand to answer any of your Southampton related questions in the comments section. Without further ado, here's our Southampton team guide and player tips for the 2015/16 season

OPENING FIXTURES

Newcastle (A) Everton (H) Watford (A) Norwich (H) West Brom (A)

SET PIECE TAKERS

Penalties: Dusan Tadic, James Ward-Prowse Freekicks: Dusan Tadic, James Ward-Prowse Corners: James Ward-Prowse, Dusan Tadic

TRANSFER TARGETS

Striker - Charlie Austin (Transfer rumour) Centre Back - Steven Caulker (Loan rumour)

PREDICTED LINEUPS

Stekelenburg Cedric, Fonte, Yoshida, Bertrand Wanyama, Clasie Tadic, Ward-Prowse, Mane Pelle

SOUTHAMPTON'S DEFENSIVE RECORD

The Saints conceded 33 goals last season, second only to Chelsea. Ronald Koeman's side are very disciplined at the back but have lost two big defensive players this transfer window. They kept 12 clean sheets last season, with 11 coming from Fraser Forster. The bad news however is that Forster is still out injured and his return date is currently unknown. Southampton made St Mary's a fortess last campaign only conceding 13 goals in 19 home games, and losing just four of those 19 games.

GOALKEEPER ANALYSIS

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[/mks_one_half] [mks_one_half]Maarten Steklenburg (5.0m) - He joins on loan from Monaco to replace the injured Forster, the Dutch keeper has a pretty impressive CV but he's unproven in the Premier League. A good keeper whose had some bad years as of late. The last time he was in the Premier League was with Fulham he didn't really impress so it's best to approach him with caution. [/mks_one_half] [/mks_col] VERDICT: Keep an eye on him. If Southampton's defence is as impressive as last year he will score points, however his form in recent years raises some question marks. Fraser Forster (5.0m) - Had a great season last year, but unfortunately will miss large proportions of this season due to his knee injury. VERDICT: He probably won't play much this season, look elsewhere. Kelvin Davis (4.5m) - More than likely going to be second choice and won't be featuring much. VERDICT: For 4.5m you could do better.

WHICH SOUTHAMPTON DEFENDER SHOULD I PICK FOR MY FPL TEAM?

To start the season we'd recommend Jose Fonte. He's the heartbeat of the Southampton defence, the club captain and a nailed on starter. Fonte only missed one Premier League game last season and barring any injuries that should be the same this season. We would have recommended Ryan Bertrand but he will be missing the start of the season due to injury, so it's the Portuguese defender for us.

DEFENDER ANALYSIS

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[/mks_one_half] [mks_one_half]Jose Fonte (5.5m) - The heart and captain of the Southampton defence and nless he suffers a serious drop in form or picks up a serious injury, that will remain the same for this season. Last season he scored 139 points and could easily earn a similar score this campaign. VERDICT:He is reliable, affordable and always starts - what more do you want? [/mks_one_half] [/mks_col] Ryan Bertrand (5.5m) - Was an important cog in the Southampton team last season in both the attacking and defensive departments. He doesn't face any immediate competition for his spot unless Matt Targett starts the season like a house on fire. Unfortunately the ever-reliable Bertrand is currently injured and will miss the start of the season. VERDICT: When he's fit and healthy he's a fantastic asset to any FPL manager, however he currently isn't fit and healthy. When he's back playing he'll be one to consider. Steven Caulker (5.5m) - The former Spurs, Cardiff, and current QPR player joins on a one year loan from the his parent club. He's expected to be fight for Yoshida's place in the side which makes for an interesting battle. VERDICT:  He's not going to push out Fonte and it's debatable if he will push out Yoshida. If he can nail down the spot over Yoshida he's worth the gamble but for now we wouldn't be risking it. Cedric Soares (5.0m) - Cedric is the replacement at right back for Nathaniel Clyne. He's earned plaudits during his time in Portugal and made an impressive debut against Red Bull Leipzig scoring one and creating another. There are however questions marks about the defensive side of his game. He doesn't have anyone behind him fighting for his place so he's going to start. VERDICT: He's a bit of a risk but he's an attacking fullback who should pick up assists if he can adapt to the Premier League. Maya Yoshida (4.5m) - A very versatile defender who can play anywhere along the back line. With Alderweireld choosing to sign for Spurs, Yoshida will take his place in the starting line up. VERDICT: If Southampton don't bring in another defender he's should start and offers good value. Matt Targett/Florin Gardos/Cuco Martina (4.0m-4.5m) - Targett is a promising youngster but has one of England's best left backs in front of him. He could be a good addition for the first few game weeks but we wouldn't recommend that. Gardos has suffered a knee injury and will be out for seven months and Martina is likely to make cameo appearances. VERDICT: More than likely to be bench players.

WHICH SOUTHAMPTON MIDFIELDER SHOULD I PICK FOR MY FPL TEAM?

It's a 50/50 call between Saido Mane and Dusan Tadic and we are leaning towards the former. Mane offers just that little bit more than Tadic, he's Southampton's most dangerous threat and has now found his feet in the Premier League. Who can forget his stunning hat-trick against Aston Villa? That's the type of flair and magic that Mane brings to the game.

MIDFIELDER ANALYSIS

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[/mks_one_half] [mks_one_half]Saido Mane (8.0m) - Mane picked up 137 points last season, an impressive total for a footballer in their debut season in the Premier League. He can play wide or just behind the striker and Koeman is a real fan of his. If he can sort his consistency out and doesn't get booked for diving he'll be a great addition to any FPL side. [/mks_one_half] [/mks_col] VERDICT: Southampton's best midfield option and can produce moments of magic. Possesses pace and can score, there are possibly better options for 8m but if you can't find them it's no shame relying on Mane. Dusan Tadic (7.0m) - Started last season in fantastic form and picked up nine assists across the season. He did tail off towards the end and subsequently disappeared off the radar. On his day he's a special player but he needs more of them days to be a FPL regular. VERDICT: Keep an eye on him as he could find his form once again. James Ward-Prowse (6.0m) - A young midfielder who offers so much to the future of Southampton. He's a wizard from set pieces and his technique is fantastic. He just doesn't score enough for a midfielder. VERDICT: It's a no for now. Jordy Clasie (5.5m) - Clasie has been touted as the replacement for Schneiderlin. He brings more creativity than the departed Frenchman and across the season may well have more points than him as he contributes a lot more in the final third. VERDICT: Let him adapt to the English game before you select him. Victor Wanyama (4.5m) - If you want a cheap midfielder who will score you 2 points every week but also pick up the odd booking then Wanyama is your man. VERDICT: He will play, but like we say FPL isn't for defensive midfielders. Steven Davies/Jake Hesketh/Harrison Reed (4.5m-5.0m) - Hesketh will barely feature for Southampton at least not until the final third of the season. Whilst Davis will be subbed into games with little time to make an impact and Reed is another youngster who is unlikely to feature enough to score you regular points. VERDICT: Skip.

WHICH SOUTHAMPTON FORWARD SHOULD I PICK FOR MY FPL TEAM?

Pellè had a good debut season in the Premier League. There has been a list of notable failures of strikers moving from Holland to England but Pellè managed to avoid that list. He ended up scoring 12 goals - including a spectacular overhead kick against QPR - and contributed to a large proportion of Southampton's attacking play.

FORWARD ANALYSIS

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[/mks_one_half] [mks_one_half]Graziano Pellè (8.0) - With a season in England under his belt, Pellè will be looking to better his goalscoring record from last season. He's an intelligent striker whose always aware of third man runs which increases his bonus and assist points. VERDICT: 8.0m looks a bit to expensive but he's a nailed on starter and a goal scorer.[/mks_one_half] [/mks_col] Jay Rodriguez (7.0) - After missing last season due to a nasty ACL injury Jay-Rod is back and ready to prove his worth to Koeman. He scores, assists and has clever movement off the ball. It's only a matter of whether he's the same player he was before the horrific injury. VERDICT: Let Rodriquez settle back into the Southampton side before picking him, ACL injuries are nasty. Juanmi(6.0m) - The 22-year-old scored 8 goals for Malaga in La Liga last season and was signed early on in the transfer window. He's looked impressive in pre-season but can he settle into the Premier League? VERDICT: He's going to need to get used to English football, hold off until he shows signs of class. Shane Long (6.0m) - He's very much played the super sub role for Southampton and whenever he's on the pitch he looks like scoring - it's just getting on the pitch that's the issue. VERDICT: Not unless Southampton have injury trouble up top leaving Long as their main man. Emmanuel Mayuka (4.5m) - Yeah? Us neither. VERDICT: You couldn't be that crazy could you?

OVERALL SUMMARY

In goal there really only is Maarten Stekelenburg to talk about seeing as Forster is injured and Davies won't play much. In defence Fonte offers a solid option, he'll score goals from set pieces and also keep clean sheets. Once Bertrand comes back from his injury he's one to seriously consider, he provides in the final third as well as being tidy defensively. Moving into midfield it really is a choice between Saido Mane and Dusan Tadic. Both can produce moments of brilliance out of nowhere but Mane just edges it due to the fact he can produce said moments on a more regular basis - however if you can't afford Mane - Tadic is a fantastic alternative. In the striking department it's hard to overlook Graziano Pellè as after his debut season he'll now be used to the tempo of the English game. Jay Rodriquez also offers a great alternative once he's recovered fully from his ACL.