Which Premier League players have been surprise packages?published at 11:04 19 October
11:04 19 October
The Premier League returns this weekend, with each club having played seven matches.
BBC Sport has looked at eight players that have performed better than fans may have expected this season.
Southampton are yet to record a Premier League victory after winning promotion from the Championship last season.
But one of the main plusses for Russell Martin's side has been the form of 18-year-old creative midfielder Tyler Dibling.
He had only made one substitute appearance in the league before this season, but instantly has looked at home in the top flight. He scored his first Saints goal last month when he linked up with 36-year-old Adam Lallana and netted in the 1-1 draw with Ipswich, and won a penalty against Manchester United.
Did you know? No teenager has created more chances in the Premier League this season than Dibling (seven).
Martin hits back at criticspublished at 17:20 18 October
17:20 18 October
Southampton boss Russell Martin says his critics are welcome to sit down with him to discuss his style of play rather than making an "uneducated guess" about it.
With Saints picking up just one point from their opening seven games, Martin has come under fire from some fans and pundits for his possession-based playing style, which he has not altered since promotion.
"I always find it fascinating that someone can watch six minutes of highlights and have a really credible opinion of your team, [and about] you as a person as well, about being stubborn or whatever," Martin said.
"I would always invite those people to come and sit down and have a chat about it and why we would do things if they want to have a really educated opinion rather than an educated guess - or an uneducated guess sometimes.
"I don't know how we're perceived. My perception of our team is that they're brave and they're doing some really brave things. Eventually, that courage will pay off.
"And if it doesn't, then I'll know that we stayed ourselves and stayed true to ourselves, which I knew would be the biggest challenge at the start of this season with the amount of questions and scrutiny we would get - because of the way we play, because I'm an English coach and because I'm young.
"The rest will just be what it will be.
"I'm proud of the journey they're on, but no-one cares about any of that if you don't win. So we have to win and this game is as good as any to get that first win and really kick us off."
'Got to believe in what we are doing' - Taylorpublished at 12:15 18 October
12:15 18 October
Southampton defender Charlie Taylor says getting a first win of the season "will breed a lot of confidence" into the team.
Saints host Leicester City on Saturday and Taylor hopes his team-mates can use the pressure of their form and league positioning to get three much-needed points.
"The international break gave us a couple of weeks to get some work done on the training ground.," Taylor told BBC Radio Solent. "The games [coming up] are now a chance to put that into practise.
"We have got some incredible young players here who are only going to get better and improve on what we have experienced so far this season. The best is yet to come from them all.
"We have just got to remain as a team and believe in what we are doing. That is something that the gaffer here is drilling into us.
"Once we get our first win that will breed a lot of confidence as well.
"They are always big games in this league and Leicester will be no different. Any win is huge but we have the added factor of the game being at home.
"Pressure comes in different ways but it is about using it as a good thing."
The Opta supercomputer October update on relegation battlepublished at 18:33 17 October
18:33 17 October
After the October international break, the Opta supercomputer has updated its projected final Premier League table.
It is only seven matches into the campaign so much can still change, but the season is beginning to take shape. The supercomputer simulates thousands of seasons and takes the percentage each side finishes in each league position.
Southampton remain most likely to finish bottom but their one point from seven games has seen their chances increasing dramatically from 28.6% to 61%.
A solid start, despite no win yet, has seen Ipswich's probability of finishing 17th creep up from 12% to 15.2% - but a 19th-placed finish has increased from 21.3% to 25.3%.
Leicester's most likely finish has changed from bottom to 18th after their first win under Steve Cooper, while Crystal Palace's poor start has seen their chances of ending in their current position of 18th go from 1.1% to 7.2%.
Wolves finished 18th in 9.7% of simulations before a ball was kicked but the now-bottom side are now at 20.1% to end in that position after a winless first seven games.
Who has run the furthest in the Premier League this season?published at 16:51 17 October
16:51 17 October
The player who has covered the most distance in the Premier League this season is a Saint - and has run the same distance as it is from St Mary's to the edge of Greater London.
He has also sprinted more than anyone else for Southampton this season.
Martin on Stewart's injury, Archer and quest for first winpublished at 13:30 17 October
13:30 17 October
Nat Hayward BBC Sport journalist
Southampton boss Russell Martin has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League home game against Leicester (15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Ross Stewart's injury is "not long-term" but it is still "frustrating" for him after the striker limped off in his first start for nearly two years against Arsenal with a muscle problem: "We need to support him mentally and psychologically more than physically because it has been one setback after another."
Will Smallbone and Kamaldeen Sulemana are fit again and available for the visit of the Foxes.
On Cameron Archer: "He's been really good for us. I really love him as a boy - the willingness to work and get better, the want to help the team. Repetition after repetition, make a mistake and go again. He's a brilliant signing for us and I think he'll score a lot."
Martin is keen to build on a promising performance at Arsenal before the international break: "The focus has been on us. We're at home off the back of a performance people feel good about in the building. Then we need to turn that into a win."
On the challenge posed by Leicester: "Brilliant traits from last season when they were asked to play in a really clear way under Enzo [Maresca] and were the best team in the league. They were outstanding. Steve [Cooper] has put some of those attributes into his team. He and his coaching staff are excellent in terms of being organised and a threat on the counter-attack."
Saints are still searching for their first Premier League win and clean sheet: "We should be on more points than we're on. We should have one or two clean sheets but we don't. So, we have to make sure we keep doing the right things and trust in the work and trust in each other it will come. The team has shown they can compete at times when we play like us and compete like us."
'Lack of a high-quality striker' and what next for Martin?published at 12:59 17 October
12:59 17 October
We asked for one thing nobody is talking about at Southampton.
Here are some of your comments:
Jon: The biggest issue has been the lack of a high-quality striker. When we had Pelle and Mane we had two great seasons, then they left and we struggled to score until we signed Danny Ings. Since Ings left, lower quality strikers have needed the perfect pass and we have struggled to convert possession and good periods of play into goals and points.
Mike: By sticking to a possession-based approach, Russell Martin is paving his own management career. Saints don't have the quality to play like this. He should adapt a style to suit the players we have. I'm sceptical he knows how - or even that he's motivated - to change. Vincent Kompany failed at Burnley and look at him now.
Daz: One thing no one is talking about is what Russell Martin will do next after Saints. Once they sack him, where will he go next?
Graham: Let's face it, Martin has built a good Championship team but we are woeful at the top level. Relegation looks a certainty but maybe a new manager can get us back up and stay there.
What's the one thing nobody is talking about?published at 16:44 16 October
16:44 16 October
One point from seven games has left Southampton joint bottom after seven games with debate growing over whether Russell Martin's style of play is suited to the Premier League.
An improved performance against Arsenal before the international break has, however, given fans something to cling to.
However, while performances and tactics are key issues, you know the things that are flying under the radar.
So when it comes to the Saints, what is the one thing nobody is talking about - good or bad?
From what I have watched, though, I can see Ipswich making a decent fist of it and then we have the struggles for Wolves, who I thought would be doing better than they have - so that is always a bit of a wildcard.
I'm at Southampton v Leicester this weekend so maybe I'll learn more then.
'I'm still not so sure Martin really knows what his best XI is'published at 08:49 10 October
08:49 10 October
Former Southampton captain Jason Dodd says he is concerned Russell Martin is unsure of his best side and that the manager's style of play may cost the Saints in the Premier League.
"I think when you looked at those first seven games you thought 'there's a few opportunities here to be picking up some points'," Dodd told BBC Radio Solent.
"We didn't really expect to beat Arsenal but in some of the other games you are expecting us to pick up points. That is a worry because I felt there were two or three wins in there early in the season.
"The worrying thing is from my point of view, I'm still not so sure the manager really knows what his best XI is.
"In the Premier League you can't be gifting goals to the opposition because they're that clinical and we're under pressure again. It does worry me.
"He has slightly changed it and he's not going sideways and backwards as much and we're being a little bit more forward thinking but I think that's just the way we are.
"We always resort back to that and we're gifting quality sides easy goals. That is going to cost us in the longer run."
When asked about the view that Martin's style of play will not work in the Premier League, Dodd added: "I agree totally.
"But then again this is the manager's philosophy, it's then up the players to not make the mistakes. You can blame the manager for how he wants them to play but then it's over to the players. If they're continually making these mistakes it is going to be costly.
"It's a catch-22 situation. This is how Russell Martin wants to play but have we got the players to be able to do that? Just in these seven games the vast majority of the goals we've conceded we've had a say in how we've conceded and that is a worry."
Can managers openly admit mental health struggles?published at 08:08 10 October
08:08 10 October
Former manager Mark Warburton talks to The Football News Show about how managers can deal with mental health struggles while working at a club and what support there is available to them.
Newbies relying on youthful promisepublished at 11:01 9 October
11:01 9 October
Pat Nevin Former footballer and presenter
The top sides picked up their customary three points, but the Premier League newbies are still trying to find that something special to get them out of the danger zone.
I reckon each now knows the player that is likely to save them, the question is, are these three going to be good enough at this level.
Leicester have Facundo Buonanotte, a class creative act on loan from Brighton who has the vision and skill to cause the best defences problems. Brighton might want him back as soon as possible, so the Foxes must get the most out of the 19-year-old starlet in the meantime.
Southampton continue to breezily give goals away in exactly the same style every week, but at the other end of the field they have two exciting prospects in 22-year-old Cameron Archer and 18-year-old Tyler Dibling. The latter has only started four Premier League games but has already shown that he could be their true star, with other bigger clubs already eyeing him jealously. He has to mature and grow quickly if he is going to save the Saints, but look how quickly Cole Palmer matured.
As for Ipswich, Liam Delap is clearly the man, having already scored four goals in eight games this season. The 21-year-old started out at Manchester City, but it isn’t easy to get a game there. There is a temptation to think of him as a bargain-basement Erling Haaland, but it is unfair to compare anyone with the Norwegian. Delap is a top striker in the making.
So the promoted clubs are relying on a 19-year-old, an 18-year-old and a 21-year-old to keep them in the Premier League.
Each is a long shot, but each at least gives them a chance.
'If it’s possible, the pressure may have eased on Martin'published at 12:35 8 October
12:35 8 October
Ray Hunt Fan writer
After Monday’s dismal performance at Bournemouth, fans were preparing for more misery heading to the Emirates.
But it wasn’t the massacre we all predicted, and in fact, there were plenty of positives to take away.
Despite only one point from seven - the joint-worst start for 26 years - Saints frustrated the title challengers and even took a shock lead when Cameron Archer slotted home his first Premier League goal, 10 minutes after the restart.
Defensive improvements were evident, particularly in the first half, but would ultimately come unstuck.
Tyler Dibling continues to turn heads with his abilities, which has seen him included in all of Russell Martin’s matchday squads this season. He extended his good form with another eye-catching game, producing our best attacking moments - a shot which clipped the post and a mazy run leading to Mateus Fernandes hitting the bar.
Forgotten striker Paul Onuachu made his first appearance since August 2023, after a successful loan spell with Trabzonspor where he managed 15 goals in 21 appearances in the Turkish top flight - a team best. With the unfortunate injury to Ross Stewart, there may be a reason for Martin to use the 6f 7in Nigerian striker as a different option. Can we rely on him?
Perhaps the best positive to take was the response from Monday. A slither of hope will have been restored with this resilient performance. If it’s possible, the pressure may have eased on Martin.
With Leicester, Everton and Wolves sandwiching a trip to defending champions Manchester City, this has to spur them on. If we can show that same level of fight and eagerness to defend then who knows?
Martin said post-match: "They are not the games that are going to define us. The games that define us are coming up. We have to do better in those."
I am certainly more hopeful than I was after Monday.
Is the new VAR working?published at 07:25 8 October
07:25 8 October
A VAR related question was put to chief football writer Phil McNulty on Monday's Q&A.
@nubiblue on 'X' asked: Is the new improved VAR working? To me it continues to favour certain clubs.
Phil answered: First of all, I don't believe VAR favours certain clubs and quite honestly, I've not noticed too much difference or huge improvement.
Maybe a little less interference but I confess I lost a lot of faith in VAR after initially being a strong advocate.
I would be happy with semi-automated offside and line technology.
Arsenal 3-1 Southampton - the fans' verdictpublished at 12:40 7 October
12:40 7 October
We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Arsenal and Southampton.
Here are some of your comments:
Arsenal fans
Dan: Havertz has matured into a different player to the one from Chelsea. We needed saints to score to stun us into the performance the result deserved.
Phil: Surprised to see Partey in a full-back role but he did OK. Jesus looked lost and ran around not actually contributing much at all. Surely his confidence and football brain is on the wane. Thought Trossard and Martinelli should have started. We certainly struggled up front to create real chances but we were more composed when they came on.
Nurudein: What a slow start from Arsenal - too relaxed at home until Southampton provoked reactions from them. What a comeback though.
Emeka: Arsenal always make hard work of a normally easy three pointer. They need to start games very aggressively and focus on goalscoring to win the league.
Saints fans
Lynne: Played our socks off! Didn’t expect much out of this game when world class PSG couldn’t beat them but for a so called Championship team we gave it a good go!
H: Oh gosh. As much as I like Russell Martin and all he did for us last season I think he really needs to either change the system a lot or he will be sacked. One point from the season so far is horrific. We keep throwing it all away - well I guess that's the Southampton way now.
Bill: It was, to a degree, as expected. Arsenal are good, very good. We’re not so good but we have spirit. We gave the ball away badly, mostly in midfield, passing too slowly and nonchalantly. The defence was very good. When we attacked we rattled them no doubt. It felt the second goal killed us.
Daz: Shambles. Goodbye Russell Martin - hello Graham Potter! Change needed.
'We set up to get a result instead of just having a style of football'published at 07:47 7 October
07:47 7 October
Former Southampton striker Jo Tessem says Russell Martin's side were "set up to get a result" in Saturday's defeat at Arsenal but saw individual mistakes punished in a "brutal" way.
Saints went 1-0 up in the second half at Emirates Stadium but the Gunners equalised almost immediately and went on to win 3-1.
"It's the quality of the Premier League," Tessem told the Goin' Home With Adam And Jo podcast.
"Little mistakes like the first goal when Flynn Downes misses that pass and Bukayo Saka picks it up, second touch into Kai Havertz who takes two touches and it's a goal. That's how brutal it is.
"But I liked the way we set up. The first half was probably one of the better halves we have had this season because we set up to play football and get a result instead of just having a style of football. This is what is important - you have to find ways of winning.
"It is a journey. You have to first ride off the pressure Arsenal put you under and defend for your lives. Saints did and then Arsenal lost their tempo a little bit, lost their motivation a little and players got tired.
"Then we scored through Cameron Archer and had quite good control of the game, started playing the football and had spaces, while Arsenal were a little bit frustrated.
"Then Flynn Downes gave the ball away. That changed the game and then Mikel Arteta made three changes which made a massive impact."