Southampton Fan View: Hughes must utilise Austin more effectively

Southampton’s goalscoring woes have been well documented over the course of the last two seasons, with Charlie Austin being the only consistent striker in the squad during this period.

Last term, the 28-year-old finished as Saints’ top goalscorer in all competitions with a fairly average tally of nine goals. This highlighted the club’s deficiencies in front of goal, with the statistic further worsened given that Austin missed over five months of action through injury.

It’s been a similar story this season, too. Austin made his return to first-team football at the end of March having been sidelined since before the turn of the year. He remains the leading goalscorer, however, with seven goals in the Premier League this season.

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Austin’s injury struggles have held back Saints immensely in the last two seasons. Despite the past managers’ inability to construct an effective attacking system at the club, Austin still managed to flourish and provide Southampton with a threat in front of goal. His importance to the team cannot be underestimated and Saints haven’t looked highly threatening in his absence this season.

This was particularly noticeable in Southampton’s recent 0-0 draw against Leicester City on Thursday. The Saints travelled to the King Power Stadium in desperate need of a win, yet were content to settle for a draw, posing little attacking threat throughout.

Mark Hughes has started Austin in only one of his games in charge of Saints following his appointment in March. He has opted to line up with Shane Long as a lone striker in recent weeks with Dusan Tadic behind him in the number 10 role.

Although Long has performed well in the recent few weeks, turning in some good forward displays against Arsenal and Chelsea, his limitations were there for all to see against Leicester. He was presented with two gilt-edged chances and fluffed his lines on both occasions, with his record currently standing at two goals for the season.

Austin is not the same mobile player that Long is and nor is he as effective in running in behind. However, he is clearly the superior striker and at this stage of the season, Hughes must produce a system which plays to his strengths and delivers him with the opportunities necessary to convert chances into goals.

Southampton have been making use of the lone striker as an out-ball in recent weeks, with long balls floated over the top or into the channels for Long to chase and hold up. This has been relatively effective but it’s high time that Saints started taking control of games and supplying their strikers with appropriate service and support.

Austin was introduced at the 70-minute mark against Leicester in a straight swap with Long. There was no systemic change and nor was there any sign of a shift in mentality. He rarely had the chance to get on the ball and he certainly had no clear-cut opportunity. Austin was devoid of service and was isolated; much like Long was for the entirety of the match.

It is this that Hughes must strive to change. Southampton desperately need to score goals and Austin is simply their best hope of that. Premier League survival seems highly unlikely but if a ‘Great Escape’ is to be pulled off, they will need to be firing on all cylinders.

Austin is not a miracle-worker and he is not a mercurial talent capable of winning games on his own. However, he has to be starting for Saints otherwise their performances in the final third will likely be rudderless, without a proven goalscorer leading the line.