Southampton are in danger of slipping from their Premier League pedestal, and, bottom of the division, are closing on the appointment of their third permanent manager of the campaign in Jesse Marsch to stave off the all-engulfing threat.
Having won just four league matches all season, Saints languish in the division’s bottom spot, four points from safety after 22 matches.
And Marsch, himself just sacked by Leeds United after little under a year, represents the third changing of the guard in the dugout since the start of the campaign, and this time Southampton have no margin for error.
Marsch, while he was probably justifiably dismissed from his duties at Elland Road, likes to implement a ball-oriented press, favouring the 4-2-3-1 formation and tending to heap attacking responsibility on his full-backs, handed the license to maraud up and down the wings.
This system requires a robust and reliable central core, and the good work that stemmed from Marsch’s time heading the Leeds outfit was in part down to the tenacious Tyler Adams’ emergence this season, and with a new midfield tool to utilise in Romeo Lavia, the American manager could find his new centrepiece in the Belgian starlet.
Could Romeo Lavia emulate Tyler Adams under Marsch?
Signing last summer from RB Leipzig for £20m, Adams has made 21 appearances for The Whites this term, proving to be an invaluable presence for his outfit as they look to create a gap between the Premier League relegation zone and their own position.
And as per Sofascore, the 24-year-old dynamo has recorded an average league rating of 7.00 this year – bettered by no midfielder in the squad – making an incredible 1.4 interceptions and 4.0 tackles per match, as well 1.1 key passes per outing and maintaining an 82% pass success rate.
Ranking among the top 4% of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues for tackles, and the top 1% for blocks, as per FBref, the £55k-per-week phenom has indeed been the perfect vigorous component to his team, and Lavia could indeed now emulate his success under the recently-appointed Marsch.
Having signed for Saints from Manchester City for a fee which could rise to £14m last summer, Lavia swiftly asserted himself as one of his side’s most talented options with strength and composure that belies his age, before a hamstring injury ruled him out for nine matches.
Having made 17 appearances, scoring one goal and assist apiece, the “outstanding” 19-year-old – as once lauded by journalist Jonathon Smith – has been a shrewd acquisition for the South Coast club, and has indeed been trusted with a regular starting berth despite the perilous position that leaves coveted top-flight status hanging by a thread.
But to instil belief across the St. Mary’s Stadium once again, Marsch must indeed look to harness the semblance between the young Belgian ace and his former favourite Adams, with Lavia himself ranking among the top 1% of positional peers for blocks and the top 11% for interceptions, highlighting the robust aura that could be channelled by Marsch, a former midfielder himself, who clearly understands how to nurture a talented central engine towards prominence.
The £38k-per-week machine has all the tools to flourish under Marsch and perhaps even play an integral role in Southampton’s desired revival ahead of the business end of the campaign, and just like Adams, he could make a marked improvement on both his game and his teams at the crucial stage.
