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da brdice： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
It was evident in just 10 minutes at the Amex Stadium in Southampton’s last league outing against Brighton.
Moussa Djenepo, a man who came on in the 53rd-minute of that game against the Seagulls, was already causing havoc on his second Premier League appearance for the Saints and netted the opening goal with a stunning curled effort into the top corner.
However, when Sofiane Boufal came on in the 80th minute, those 10 minutes of action plus stoppage time in which the Moroccan and Djenepo were on the same pitch were enough to whet some Southampton fans’ appetite for the future.
The pair of them are both extremely exciting attackers.
Boufal registered 4.1 dribbles per game in La Liga last term and also completed more take-ons than Lionel Messi, whereas Djenepo recorded 3.3 dribbles per game at the Africa Cup of Nations this summer in just three appearances and was also fouled a huge five times per game, showcasing just how much trouble he causes opponents.
Quite how Ralph Hasenhuttl gets the pair of them in the same starting XI along with Nathan Redmond, Che Adams and Danny Ings remains to be seen, but the two wide men are that much of a thorn in the opposition’s side that they have to be deployed together.
Even if Hasenhuttl decides for a more defensive set-up in the next league outing against Manchester United, the duo’s creativity, attacking threat and overall pace could cause huge problems for the Red Devils on the counter-attack.
The Saints started the season a tad negatively with a 3-5-2 system that saw just one goal scored, which came as a result of Liverpool’s Adrian kicking the ball at Ings and rebounding into the net.
That much suggests the attack was suffocated somewhat by the tactical approach, but after Hasenhuttl switched to a 4-2-2-2 against Brighton, there are no excuses for not playing two of his most dangerous attackers in the same team.
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