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Southampton were near to the winning goal from the first minute while facing Swansea, when striker Manolo Gabbiadini headed a ball from a corner off the post. 28 shots later, the Saints finished with a point at home in a scoreless draw – finishing their sixth straight home match without scoring.
Photo by Alex Morton/Getty Images
It continues struggles from the season before, when former manager Claude Puel led Southampton to one win and four goals in the last eight games before he was sacked. Now under Mauricio Pellegrino, the Saints need to buck the trend and must do it through Gabbiadini and midfielder Nathan Redmond.
Redmond led all scorers last campaign with seven goals, and Gabbiadini, who joined the Saints on the final day of the January transfer window, finished with four. The Italian striker scored in each of his first four matches, becoming the first player to do so with Southampton. But the 25-year-old was held goalless for his final eight matches.
To rekindle their goal-scoring ability, Southampton must find a way to get Gabbiadini back in form. The 25-year-old can find space and can finish a well-placed pass, but could benefit by playing off of a forward with a bigger presence, such as Charlie Austin, similarly as to how West Ham’s Javier Hernandez could prove lethal with Carroll or Sakho alongside.