Football Manager 2021 Southampton tactic and team guide. Club culture and board requirements, tactics, key and youth players, transfers in FM21.
Football Manager 2021 Southampton tactic and team guide. Club culture and
board requirements, tactics, key players, youth prospects and potential
transfers in FM21.
Here is a brief analysis of the Southampton squad, their club structure, relationship any potential managers will have with the board, expectations and possible tactics any FM21 manager can use.
About the club
Southampton spent 27 years continuously in the top flight before being relegated in May 2005. They returned to the Premier League in 2012 and have stayed there ever since.
Southampton had a unique attacking identity ever since their promotion, their
academy also produced some superb world-class talents and their scouts picked
up amazing transfers during that period.
This reflected in their performance with the Saints qualifying for the
Europa League twice. However, Saints became a selling club with clubs
poaching most of their talents away from them. They are now sitting
precariously close to relegation having suffered the biggest loss in PL
Football recently.
After a disappointing 2018-2019 season, Southampton enjoyed stability under Hassenhutl and finished a respectable 11th in 2019-2020. They have started the current season splendidly in real life too. The minimum board requirements once you take over will be;
1. A top half PL finish.
2. Make the 5th round of the FA Cup
3. Make the 4th round of the EFL Carabao Cup.
Additionally, you will be required to play attacking entertaining football with an onus to sign young players and use the academy to promote youngsters produced by the club.
Southampton have decent training facilities & a very good youth setup that will churn out the occasional star. You will learn to heavily rely on these once you stabilize your position at the club.
RELATED: Football Manager 2021 Starting Transfer Budgets
A Vertical Tiki-Taka is a tactic that suits the Southampton squad the best. They have some good fullbacks who can give dangerous crosses if given space and you should aim to make use of this. Fluid counter-attacking style may work in some games but it strictly depends on the formation.
4-4-2 is how Southampton lineup in real life and it would be ideal if we mimic this formation to get the best out of your players.
A rough example of what your line-up would look like in a 4-4-2 formation is as follows;
Alex McCarthy as a sweeper keeper.
Jan Bednarek & Jannik Vestergaard as the 2 centre backs.
Kyle Walker-Peters & Ryan Bertrand as the 2 wing backs with increased crossing instructions.
Oriol Romeu & James Ward-Prowse constitute the 2 central midfielders. Romeu played as a ball-winning midfielder & Ward-Prowse as a box to box or a playmaker.
Nathan Redmon & Theo Walcott as the 2 wide players as an Inside forward and a winger respectively. They can be played much higher up in some home games.
Danny Ings & Che Adams as the 2 strikers with Ings playing as a deeper forward and Adams as an Advanced Forward.
You can alternatively go with a 3 man backline especially in tough games to be more compact.
RELATED: Football Manager 2021 Tactics
Nathan Redmond is an attacking winger with a lot of flair and an eye for goal. His contributions are very important if you wish to keep the Saints up in the league.
Ings is Southampton’s talisman up front. His 22 goals in the previous campaign reiterate his importance to how Saints play and his performances will be crucial in securing results.
James Ward Prowse has very good quality from central midfield, his passing and vision is up there with the best. He is also very good at set-pieces and this is crucial for the tall centre backs to take advantage and score important goals.
RELATED: Football Manager 2021 Best Players Shortlist
1. Southampton are a feeder club who constantly lose their best players to other clubs. This could lead to gaping holes in the squad.
2. The overall squad depth is also quite average outside the first team. Southampton have still not replaced some key players that were sold and it is affecting their squad balance and in turn their performance.
3. The budget may not be good enough to compete with other teams vying for similar league positions.
These players could be a handy addition to the Southampton squad and help them achieve their targets,
· Dwight McNeil
· Lewis Cook
These players may be surplus to requirements at the club or may not be of the expected quality.
· Shane Long
· Stuart Armstrong
There are a few exciting young prospects in the ranks who have the potential to be some of the best players in the league. A few examples are;
Djenepo is very much a part of the first-team squad already and has all the makings of an excellent attacking player in the future. His pace and versatility make it easy to fit him into most tactics and formations.
The young Ghanian centre back is a strong central defender who has the ability to become the next Van Dijk for Southampton. His ability to attack set pieces is an added bonus.
The young French defensive midfielder is an able prospect already and can on to replace Oriol Romeu in the future.
RELATED: Best Football Manager 2021 Wonderkids
To Summarize, Saints have excellent youth products and have one of the best academies in England. However, they constantly lose their stars to bigger clubs and have the tag of a “feeder club”. Can you change this fact and fight for titles with Southampton?
Board Requirements
After a disappointing 2018-2019 season, Southampton enjoyed stability under Hassenhutl and finished a respectable 11th in 2019-2020. They have started the current season splendidly in real life too. The minimum board requirements once you take over will be;
1. A top half PL finish.
2. Make the 5th round of the FA Cup
3. Make the 4th round of the EFL Carabao Cup.
Additionally, you will be required to play attacking entertaining football with an onus to sign young players and use the academy to promote youngsters produced by the club.
Southampton have decent training facilities & a very good youth setup that will churn out the occasional star. You will learn to heavily rely on these once you stabilize your position at the club.
RELATED: Football Manager 2021 Starting Transfer Budgets
Squad, Formation and Tactical Style
A Vertical Tiki-Taka is a tactic that suits the Southampton squad the best. They have some good fullbacks who can give dangerous crosses if given space and you should aim to make use of this. Fluid counter-attacking style may work in some games but it strictly depends on the formation.
4-4-2 is how Southampton lineup in real life and it would be ideal if we mimic this formation to get the best out of your players.
A rough example of what your line-up would look like in a 4-4-2 formation is as follows;
Alex McCarthy as a sweeper keeper.
Jan Bednarek & Jannik Vestergaard as the 2 centre backs.
Kyle Walker-Peters & Ryan Bertrand as the 2 wing backs with increased crossing instructions.
Oriol Romeu & James Ward-Prowse constitute the 2 central midfielders. Romeu played as a ball-winning midfielder & Ward-Prowse as a box to box or a playmaker.
Nathan Redmon & Theo Walcott as the 2 wide players as an Inside forward and a winger respectively. They can be played much higher up in some home games.
Danny Ings & Che Adams as the 2 strikers with Ings playing as a deeper forward and Adams as an Advanced Forward.
You can alternatively go with a 3 man backline especially in tough games to be more compact.
RELATED: Football Manager 2021 Tactics
Key Players
1. Nathan Redmond
Nathan Redmond is an attacking winger with a lot of flair and an eye for goal. His contributions are very important if you wish to keep the Saints up in the league.
2. Danny Ings
Ings is Southampton’s talisman up front. His 22 goals in the previous campaign reiterate his importance to how Saints play and his performances will be crucial in securing results.
3. James Ward-Prowse
James Ward Prowse has very good quality from central midfield, his passing and vision is up there with the best. He is also very good at set-pieces and this is crucial for the tall centre backs to take advantage and score important goals.
RELATED: Football Manager 2021 Best Players Shortlist
Weaknesses
1. Southampton are a feeder club who constantly lose their best players to other clubs. This could lead to gaping holes in the squad.
2. The overall squad depth is also quite average outside the first team. Southampton have still not replaced some key players that were sold and it is affecting their squad balance and in turn their performance.
3. The budget may not be good enough to compete with other teams vying for similar league positions.
Potential Transfers (in)
These players could be a handy addition to the Southampton squad and help them achieve their targets,
· Dwight McNeil
· Lewis Cook
Potential Transfers (Out)
These players may be surplus to requirements at the club or may not be of the expected quality.
· Shane Long
· Stuart Armstrong
Youth Prospects
There are a few exciting young prospects in the ranks who have the potential to be some of the best players in the league. A few examples are;
1. Moussa Djenepo
Djenepo is very much a part of the first-team squad already and has all the makings of an excellent attacking player in the future. His pace and versatility make it easy to fit him into most tactics and formations.
2. Mohammad Salisu
The young Ghanian centre back is a strong central defender who has the ability to become the next Van Dijk for Southampton. His ability to attack set pieces is an added bonus.
3. Ibrahima Diallo
The young French defensive midfielder is an able prospect already and can on to replace Oriol Romeu in the future.
RELATED: Best Football Manager 2021 Wonderkids
Summary
To Summarize, Saints have excellent youth products and have one of the best academies in England. However, they constantly lose their stars to bigger clubs and have the tag of a “feeder club”. Can you change this fact and fight for titles with Southampton?
