Southampton: Spoiled For Choice With Sofiane Boufal
With the addition of Sofiane Boufal from Lille, Southampton manager Claude Puel has a host of possibilities to consider in the attacking third.
The Saints completed the signing of the Moroccan midfielder two days ago, on a record fee reported near £20m.
The club’s marquee signing is expected to factor in a big way as Southampton continue their season, bolstering the attack and complementing manager Claude Puel’s favoured diamond formation. With the skills he brings to the table, there’s little doubt that Boufal will be up to the task.
As a two-footed midfielder, he’s equally capable of playing left, right or centre. In the diamond formation, he’d likely play as a number 10 attacking mid, sitting at the tip of the diamond and feeding service into Charlie Austin and Nathan Redmond.
This is a role he should be good for, with 11 goals and 4 assists last season with Lille. Being equally capable on both sides means he should have no trouble distributing the ball around when the play isn’t there for him to take himself. With Austin and Redmond up front, or the introduction of Jay Rodriguez, Dusan Tadic or Shane Long, the opportunities to feed the attack should be plentiful.
If Claude Puel wants to change it up, he’ll take comfort in knowing his new charge his highly qualified on the wings. Puel plays two-up-top as 4-4-2 typically does, but allows them more freedom to split wide and play from the wing. Boufal’s pace, set in tandem with either Redmond or Shane Long, makes a fast and deadly attack.
There’s also the possibility of the team making some formation adjustments, going with a 4-2-3-1 as many have suggested. Southampton’s squad is definitely suited to this, and with Boufal in the driver’s seat at attacking mid it’s an exciting prospect.
This sort of lineup would see the new signing played central and a bit forward, flanked on either end by dedicated attacking wingers, with a single striker up top. Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic, both of whom made their living on the wings last season, seem appropriate for the former role. The single striker could be filled by Jay Rodriguez , Charlie Austin or Shane Long, all of whom have the goalscorer’s instinct to be deadly up top.
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This role might see Boufal limited more to supporting cast, but with the attacking third stacked it should give defences trouble and create some opportunity for the man himself to get forward.
For now, we’ll have to wait to see how Claude Puel uses his newest acquisition. Boufal won’t be match fit for Southampton for a few weeks, and we’re currently on an international break. That should give the manager plenty of time to tinker and think about how to set up going forward.
However he does, though, Southampton’s loyal fans have reason to be excited this season.
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