Artur Boruc 31
Bar a couple of slip ups early on in his Saints career, Boruc has been ever present in the starting line-up and rightly so. He has made many key saves that have won Saints games and kept them in others. He showed his quality on the opening day with a great low diving save to deny Billy Jones a late equaliser. No doubt he'll be in nearly every Saints fans preferred XI. Understandably this is why Pochettino has chosen him in his squad, with Davis and Gazzaniga not giving much competition for the starting spot.
Calum Chambers 22
Since Clyne picked up an injury during pre season, Calum Chambers has filled in and turned Pochettino's head whilst doing so. Whether Clyne is fully fit or not remains to be seen but Chambers is quickly making that right back position his own. Calum is purely there on merit but some fans would suggest calling Clyne back as soon as possible. Why? I ask. If it isn't broke, don't fix it.
Jose Fonte 6
After making 28 appearances for Saints last year it was pretty clear he'd feature this season. This was helped by the fact his centre back partner; Maya Yoshida had returned late to pre season because of the Confederations Cup in Brazil. Fonte was the first to be given a chance to prove himself and build a partnership with new signing Dejan Lovren with Yoshida and Hooiveld waiting in the wings. So far they've been strong together and I can see exactly why Pochettino continues to select him and I think he's right in doing so.
Dejan Lovren 5
Lovren has started all three league games for Saints so far and you can see why. He has experience at a very high level of football having played in the Champions League with Lyon. As well as being very strong in the air, Lovren has a good footballing brain. He is able to read passes which gives him a better chance of intercepting them. He dealt with Elmander on Saturday with ease and had a good game. The partnership him and Fonte have is growing every weekend and will only get stronger. I see him as a big dressing room player; someone with a lot of spirit and he loves it here in Southampton. As a new signing for Saints it was clear he would get time to play, to show the player he is and so far he has gone above my expectations as a player. I would not even consider doubting Pochettino's reasons for selecting Lovren.
Danny Fox 13
Probably the most bizarre selection in the starting line up but we know Shaw wasn't fully fit. However, Fox had a seemingly good game. He looked a little exposed against Snodgrass and Whittaker (which will mainly be down to the formation Saints play under Pochettino) but he dealt with them throughout and didn't do himself any harm. It's clear though, Fox won't keep the place and Shaw will slot straight back in when available, so it isn't easy to critique Pochettino's choice under the injury strains surrounding this position.
Morgan Schneiderlin 4
Absolutely no doubt why this man is in the starting eleven. The statistics speak for themselves and no one can shift him from that holding midfielder role. He has built strong bonds with anyone he has worked with including Jack Cork over the last few years. He has shown he can work alongside new signing Wanyama however, I have heard shouts of recalling Cork to the side who made a huge difference when he returned from injury this time last year and I'm sure he'll take his chance when he's given it. Nobody would question Schneiderlin being in the team.
Victor Wanyama 12
Wanyama has proved he can handle the big boys of Barcelona, but I still think he's only starting because he's just been brought in. The strength of Morgan and Cork last year was immense but I can see why Pochettino has stuck with Wanyama so far. He offers something different to Cork, something Saints lacked a bit last year. We were bossed about in midfield on too many occasions and although Cork has the ability to deal with this sort of thing, Wanyama gives us a bit more presence due to the massive intimidation Wanyama brings with his stance.. For now, it was the right decision to stick with him in my opinion, but I can see what Cork could have added to this game in particular as I did doubt the tactics for this one game.
James Ward-Prowse 16
He was well and truly chucked in at the deep end, making his Premier League debut away at Manchester City last year. Pochettino has given him another chance to prove what he can do by not only starting him on the opening day at West Brom but rewarding him with the tough task of taking set pieces. So far, he hasn't put a foot wrong and I fully agree with Pochettino putting him in his starting side.
Adam Lallana 20
Towards the back end of last season, Adam seemed to take his foot off the gas a little and hasn't been at his best since. However, I still believe most Saints fans would have started
Dani Osvaldo 17
It was pretty obvious Osvaldo would start his first game for Saints at Norwich. He had a few chances but is yet to really show fans what he's worth. Everyone would have wanted to see him feature so there's no arguments about him starting, but the pressure will grow a little each time he under performs in a red shirt. Again, right call Mauricio!
Wanyama has proved he can handle the big boys of Barcelona, but I still think he's only starting because he's just been brought in. The strength of Morgan and Cork last year was immense but I can see why Pochettino has stuck with Wanyama so far. He offers something different to Cork, something Saints lacked a bit last year. We were bossed about in midfield on too many occasions and although Cork has the ability to deal with this sort of thing, Wanyama gives us a bit more presence due to the massive intimidation Wanyama brings with his stance.. For now, it was the right decision to stick with him in my opinion, but I can see what Cork could have added to this game in particular as I did doubt the tactics for this one game.
James Ward-Prowse 16
He was well and truly chucked in at the deep end, making his Premier League debut away at Manchester City last year. Pochettino has given him another chance to prove what he can do by not only starting him on the opening day at West Brom but rewarding him with the tough task of taking set pieces. So far, he hasn't put a foot wrong and I fully agree with Pochettino putting him in his starting side.
Adam Lallana 20
Towards the back end of last season, Adam seemed to take his foot off the gas a little and hasn't been at his best since. However, I still believe most Saints fans would have started
with him at Norwich and I think after his weekend performance, he could be on he way back! He was our only real creative spark throughout the game and was surprisingly substituted to the dismay of the fans in the stands! Correct to start him, wrong to bring him off.
Dani Osvaldo 17
It was pretty obvious Osvaldo would start his first game for Saints at Norwich. He had a few chances but is yet to really show fans what he's worth. Everyone would have wanted to see him feature so there's no arguments about him starting, but the pressure will grow a little each time he under performs in a red shirt. Again, right call Mauricio!
Rickie Lambert 7
I think Lambert played a part in every single Premier League game last season and is always going to keep his place each week because of his 'Sir' status on the South Coast. Lambert hasn't necessarily been on top form at the beginning of this season but his goals for the national side overshadows his Premier League form and every Saints fan will see the past few weeks as a huge success for him. The only frustration is him not scoring from open play but still, you won't see a single Southampton fan suggest dropping Lambert right now. After-all, he's our goal machine.
In typical Saints fashion, many fans will already be questioning Mauricio Pochettino's selections and amid all the "deluded" and "clueless" claims from some, I for one am pretty confident he knows what he's doing. After all, we're only 3 games into the new season and he didn't exactly do poorly at the end of last season. With a few new players and a still considerably new manager us Saint's fans are still getting to know it all, much like the players and manager himself! I think the fans need to calm down a bit and think a bit more rationally. True to being a saint many of you have gone a bit suicidal over one loss. Take each game as it comes.
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