8 Big Threats To Southampton's Challenge For The Top 4

6. An Over-Reliance On Graziano Pelle For Goals

One of Southampton's finest pieces of business in the summer had the aging Rickie Lambert shipped out to Liverpool and a new centre forward brought in in the shape of Italian star Graziano Pelle. Costing just £8 million, Pelle hit the ground running in the Premier League, scoring 6 goals in 8 games and winning the September Player Of The Month award. In recent weeks, however, the goals have started to dry up. Pelle now hasn't scored in the last 8 league games and has just 2 in 18. Against Liverpool he looked lost and demoralised throughout. The wider problem with this is that Saints are so strongly reliant on the big Italian for goals that they are lacking in other options. While those opening 8 games featured a total of 19 goals for the team as a whole, the last 8 have included just 8. Last year's top scorer Jay Rodriguez has missed virtually the whole season through injury and is unlikely to be back to full fitness until the final month of the campaign, leaving just Shane Long, far better as a supporting striker, the misfiring Emmanuel Mayuka and unproven youth team product Sam Gallagher as the club's only other options to spearhead the attack. At least winger Sadio Mane has come into some good form after a slow start in England, providing another outlet for goals without which Saints could really be struggling. Nevertheless, Koeman may come to regret not investing in another forward in January.