Southampton Fan View: Mario Lemina is already looking like a bargain

When the team sheets were revealed at 11.30am on Saturday morning, Southampton supporters collectively breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Mauricio Pellegrino sprung a few surprises with his team selection. He opted to play Shane Long up front instead of Manolo Gabbiadini, and also made a bold call in dropping Jack Stephens for Maya Yoshida. This, against a Crystal Palace side who were looking to bounce back after four consecutive defeats in the Premier League.

However, it was not the inclusions of Long or Yoshida that boosted the spirits amongst the Saints faithful, but the return to the line-up for Mario Lemina.

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The enigmatic Gabonese international was rested against Watford but has already cemented himself as a key player for the club. Lemina was always tipped to start against Palace, but Pellegrino has shown on several occasions already that he is not afraid to take an unorthodox approach to the game. Saints fans already hold the midfielder in extremely high regard, and it’s not difficult to see why.

Signed from Juventus for a fee which could rise up to become a club-record transfer in the summer, Lemina lined up next to Oriol Romeu in the double pivot for the third time this season. The pair appear to be building a strong rapport, with knowledge of each other’s’ styles evidently growing stronger.

It was Lemina, though, who really stood out on Saturday. Players from other European leagues, and commonly Serie A, do tend to take a short while to adjust to the Premier League. Some take longer than others. Lemina showed signs of immense promise in his opening two fixtures for Saints, but it was his most recent outing against Palace which has left us all purring.

From the first minute until the last, Lemina was the best player on the pitch. He was industrious throughout and demonstrated the perfect balance between physicality and technical skill; two elements which epitomised Southampton’s important win over Palace.

Lemina made a total of 72 passes, and helped his side going forward. He was able to break the lines with powerful, direct runs, and he successfully completed three take-ons against Palace’s defensive unit, who were up against it throughout.

Not only did Lemina impress when pushing his side up the pitch, but he also made huge efforts to stifle Palace going forward. Renowned for his combative, aggressive style of play, Lemina was able to put his defensive qualities to good use, and won the ball back on four occasions. The Gabon international broke up the play in effective fashion too, preventing Palace from stringing together efficient passing moves as he made four interceptions on the day.

The former Marseille man was patient defensively, and didn’t dive in. His reading of the game was excellent throughout, and he is cementing himself as one of the first names on Pellegrino’s team sheet.

We were warned upon Lemina’s arrival that his decision-making often left a lot to be desired, and that his tactical intelligence was somewhat questionable. These were reasonable statements given his somewhat underwhelming tenure with Juventus, but he has since developed as a player and appears to be playing with an effectively pragmatic approach to his football.

Lemina’s performance was one that I, among many other Saints supporters, will remember for years to come. Of course, we all hope that this is just the beginning for our new midfielder, but I can safely say that his display at Selhurst Park was one of the best individual performances I’ve seen from a Southampton player so far.

Saints are seemingly on course to reap the rewards for their intelligent business model once again. Sharpening the tools that others deemed too blunt to make of use has worked so effectively for the club in recent years, and Lemina looks like the latest example of the club’s impeccable talent-spotting.