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So far, Claude Puels reign at Southampton FC has been one of mixed emotions. On the one hand, the Saints are through to their first major cup final since 2003 and the performances of Virgil Van Dijk have piqued the interest of every top club in Europe. On the other hand, a very tough Christmas and New Year period have left Puel side at the wrong end of the bottom half of the table – with some very uninspiring defeats to boot.

One underlying problem throughout the Frenchman’s time in charge has been the inability for his team to score. While there has been a recent resurgence in the forwards hitting the target, the goals have been somewhat lacking from the two front men Jay Rodriguez and Shane Long, and nearly non-existent from the midfield.

Interestingly, and also frustratingly, the problem hasn’t been the ability to create chances. Puel has seemingly changed the role that Nathan Redmond plays in the squad, and is now playing to his main strengths – pace and running at defenders. This has genuinely caused teams problems, as demonstrated in the two legs at Liverpool. The chances are there, but the consistency and composure in front of goal are not.

The main reason for this lies in the fluidity with which Puel sets the team up. The front three interchange a lot, which often means that the players you could identify as the natural strikers in the team end up on wings or outside of the box. Couple this with his relentless rotation, and its not hard to see why our current strikers have failed to find form.

Gabbiadini

Step forward, then, Manolo Gabbiadini – Saints’ new record signing. Coming from Napoli, the Italian has had a frustrating past couple of years in Serie A. Having had five clubs in as many years, he hasn’t really had a consistent run anywhere he has been. On top of this, his goal scoring record doesn’t blow you away – which is evident in him being constantly overlooked for the national side.

Having said that, Gabbiadini has a lot of qualities that would suit saints at the moment. Firstly, he is a composed finisher which would certainly help with all those squandered chances. Secondly, he’s an intelligent forward who makes runs from all areas of the pitch – particularly cutting inside from the wings, not too dissimilar from Jay Rodriguez before his injury. Gabbiadini is also a player with a lot of promise, having been linked with a few premier league clubs – including Everton and West Ham; and it wouldn’t be surprising if he was one of our ‘black box’ signings.

At 25 though, the time for him to start living up to that promise is slowly but surely running out. With that in mind though, Southampton are one of the best clubs for both developing and nurturing talent in Europe – so if he is to ever reach his potential it’s at Saints he will surely do it.

Is Gabbiadini the answer to the Southampton’s problems in front of goal? It’s too early to say. Does he have potential, and do Saints have a track record of getting the best of of players? Yes.

Now lets just hope he’s more Graziano Pelle than Mario Balloteli.