After the busy holiday window of matches, Southampton currently sits 4th in table, which represents the last Champions League qualification position. It wasn't supposed to be this way this campaign for the Saints.
After finishing 8th in the table last season, the Saints sold Luke Shaw (Manchester United, £31M), Adam Lallana (Liverpool, £25M), Dejan Lovren (Liverpool, £20M), Calum Chambers (Arsenal, £16M), and Rickie Lambert (Liverpool, £4M) from last season's squad over the summer. As a result, many pundits were wondering whether Southampton would be able to avoid relegation to the Championship this season; no one was talking about the possibility of qualifying for European football next year.
Roger Bennett of Men In Blazers went to Southampton in the early part of December to find out how this was possible. Bennett talks to players, coaches, and staff, and the result is an incredibly illuminating look into how Southampton evaluates and develops its players and operates its club. With a stadium that only holds about 30,000 fans and a brand that is not yet known worldwide, the club lacks the resources of its biggest competitors in the Premier League. As a result, the club focuses specifically on seemingly-mundane details such as which brand of laundry detergent to use in cleaning the kits all the way through individualized training programs for each player. The individualized programs focus on when a player needs to be pushed and when he needs rest. As a result, Southampton had the fewest soft tissue injuries in the Premier League last season.
There is also the youth academy that has produced superstars such as Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, among others, and its state-of-the-art evaluation system known as the "Black Box" was too secretive to be shown on television. It is easy to see that the Saints are sweating the details and it is also clear that Southampton has the infrastructure in place necessary to give it the best opportunity to compete in the cash-heavy Premier League.
Gareth Bale is the most successful of Southampton's Academy system. He looks rather elvish in this picture, no? (Photo: @MiRondo | Twitter)
What was especially interesting about the documentary is how Southampton transformed itself from a nearly-bankrupt League One side in 2009-10 to where it is today. Players as young as 8 years old are signed and live with host families in the community. The focus is not only to develop their football skills, but also on fostering their educational and personal development. Southampton's record for developing players speaks for itself over the last few years.
Southampton play a beautiful brand of football and it is hard not to appreciate the system that it has in place. While pundits were urging caution about Manchester United’s slow start this season due to the need for their new players to “gel,” Southampton had even more turnover and came out of the gates strongly. If I hadn't already dedicated myself to Chelsea, I would strongly consider rooting for the Saints as my Premier League team. There's a long way to go in this season, but we at The18 are hoping that Southampton can continue its current form and qualify for the Champions League (or at least the Europa league) next season.
Whether you support the Saints or not, the documentary is definitely worth watching for anyone interested in a behind-the-scenes look at how football clubs develop and evaluate their players. Bennett does a masterful job of narrating and it is sure to win a few converts to the Saints as a result.
The Southampton Way is available on NBC Sports Network, so check your local listings for re-airings. The full version is also available on meninblazers.com. And, for your viewing pleasure, we've also included the full length film below:
Follow Mike Smith on Twitter @thefootiegent
March on Saints. March on.
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