How did Southampton do this season? 2021/22 FPL review
With the Premier League season over, it’s time to assess each of the 20 teams one-by-one. So here is Southampton’s FPL review of 2021/22.
Another season of nothingness at Southampton, finishing between 15th and 17th for the fourth time in five seasons. They were never in danger of relegation but – such was the scale of their awful final months – they’d have been in trouble if the season lasted another four or five rounds.
2021/22 began with the departures of Danny Ings, Jannik Vestergaard and Ryan Bertrand. Four points arrived from the first seven games, before a short spurt of victories.
However, after beating Norwich in Gameweek 27, the Saints lost nine of their final 12 games. This includes 6-0 and 4-0 hammerings to Chelsea and Aston Villa, without ever quite reaching the humiliation of the 9-0 crushings experienced in the previous two campaigns.
So that can be taken as one positive. As is being one of the few sides to not lose versus champions Man City, grabbing two draws.
FPL review
Southampton’s defensive assets have been off the table for a while, arguably since £4.0m starter Tino Livramento suffered seven blanks in a row heading into Christmas. Because five of their eight clean sheets had already arrived by Gameweek 11.
Yet their overall season stats aren’t bad. They finish having conceded the eighth-fewest shots – better than Tottenham. Also, the league’s top two for interceptions belong to the Saints – Mohammed Salisu and Jan Bednarek.
Best FPL asset
For the fourth successive season, James Ward-Prowse has recorded a personal best FPL score. The set-piece maestro again scored four goals directly from free-kicks, closing in on David Beckham’s Premier League record of 18.
And the midfielder’s appeal doesn’t stop there. He’s on penalties – scoring four times from the spot – and has also taken the league’s most corners (302), which makes him fixture-proof. No player has executed more crosses either. Such reliability means he’ll likely remain a good choice during next season.
A mention should go to Tino Livramento. An unknown youngster signed from Chelsea, pre-season rumours within the FPL community suggested there was suddenly a £4.0m full-back expected to be in a team’s starting XI. It was true – Livramento started their first 18 matches, adding a goal, assist and five clean sheets. All for a bargain price.
Biggest FPL disappointment
Another deal from Chelsea brought young striker Armando Broja to the club on loan. Whilst it may be harsh to deem a £5.0m-priced forward with six goals a disappointment, they all came before mass ownership. By the time over a million managers had jumped onto Broja in February, he had already scored his last goal of the season. His final 13 appearances were all blanks.
Looking ahead to next season
The problem with already-safe teams ending the season ‘on the beach’ is that it can easily carry into the next season. Southampton need to wake up. They’re losing Broja, with Fraser Forster’s imminent move to Spurs highlighting their need for a good goalkeeper. When FPL restarts, there shouldn’t be any positional changes for the Saints but Ward-Prowse could rise from £6.5m to around £7.0m.
Check out our other season reviews, as well as regular summer round-ups of FPL news and gossip.
