Forster getting off lightly compared to foreign Premier League counterparts

It’s been a year of highs and lows for Southampton already, and it’s only early February. Having booked their place at Wembley for the final of the EFL Cup at the expense of Liverpool, winning both legs against Jurgen Klopp’s men, Saints have endured a difficult spell in the league. It’s a period that has been typical of their season as a whole.

Their campaign thus far has consisted of a number of streaks that make Claude Puel’s side hard to judge at this stage. The Frenchman’s reign began with just two points from the opening four matches of the season before a resurgence that saw them go unbeaten in seven competitive matches thereafter - winning five.

A period of apparent settling followed in which Southampton’s form became far less streaky but a hectic fixture schedule certainly seems to have caught up with Claude Puel’s side in more ways than one. With 38 competitive matches already under their belt, Saints are beginning to feel the strain of having played more competitive games than any other Premier League side.

Injuries have begun to mount, first losing top scorer Charlie Austin and most recently and pertinently star man Virgil van Dijk, who is facing the best part of three months on the sidelines. The Dutchman’s absence has come at just the wrong time for the club, though they too must face some of the blame for failing to plan for such an eventuality.

When Southampton agreed to sell want away captain Jose Fonte, it was immediately apparent that a replacement was needed. Van Dijk became even more important to a side that already owed much to his dominance at the back and when his injury occurred it left Puel with Maya Yoshida, Jack Stephens and Florin Gardos as their only centre-back options. While Yoshida has experience at this level he’s certainly prone to lapses in concentration - no outfielder committed more errors that led to a goal last season (3) - and 23-year old Stephens and injury-plagued Gardos have amassed just seven Premier League starts in their combined careers.

To make matters worse for Puel and Saints, their lack of defensive options and experience have coincided with something of a crisis of confidence from Fraser Forster. Having been such a dependable and imposing member of the side in the past, the England international has endured a relatively drastic downturn in form this season.

Indeed, while the likes of Bravo, Mignolet and Karius have received pelters all season long for their struggles between the sticks, Forster has had an easy ride by comparison. Undoubtedly related to being English as well as having proven himself in the Premier League in the past, there’s an argument to be made that Forster has been just as poor as the aforementioned trio to have faced far more criticism.

Despite receiving enviable protection from the pairing of Van Dijk and Fonte until recently, Forster’s lack of confidence has been apparent for much of the season. The former Celtic stopper is the only Premier League goalkeeper to have received two WhoScored.com ratings lower than a 5 this season - against Palace (4.48) and Spurs (4.99) respectively in December - while none have been awarded more match ratings below a six (7), the most recent of which came at the weekend against West Ham (5.30).

It’s meant that Forster has earned the lowest average rating of any Premier League goalkeeper this season, with a score of 6.23 a considerable drop from Karius, whose 6.33 is the second lowest. An average of 1.7 saves per game is better only than the under-fire Bravo, while the City keeper is again the only keeper with an inferior save success rate (54.8%) - albeit a very slight difference. Given the Chilean has now been dropped by Guardiola, it may well be time to consider whether Forster should be taken out of the firing line for his own good, despite getting off lightly for his poor performances so far.

The signing of young keeper Mouez Hassen from Puel’s former stomping ground Nice certainly suggests that the Saints boss has that eventuality in mind. As it stands, Southampton can’t afford to have a keeper that is short of confidence given their issues in the centre-back department.

The loan arrival of Hassen may have afforded Puel the option to offer Forster a break but the club’s inability to recruit defensive reinforcements could yet come back to haunt them. A seven point gap to the relegation zone may seem comfortable enough but if Southampton don’t get things right at the back soon then it could still be a nervy finish to the season for last season’s sixth placed side.