Notebook – Spurs v Southampton

After securing progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup on Saturday, our season swiftly moves on with the Premier League visit of Southampton on Wednesday night (7.45pm kick-off).

Here in the Notebook, take a look at the key points of note ahead of the game…

1 - A first for 2022 in February

Incredibly, despite us being well into 2022, we are still seeing firsts – even of the most standard of practices. We might be over five weeks into the new calendar year, but Wednesday’s game will mark our first home league match of 2022. It is the latest into a calendar year that we have hosted our first home league game for 37 seasons - our first such outing of 1985 occurring in March against Manchester United - while it will also be our first league match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for 45 days - our last coming on Boxing Day against Crystal Palace.

2 - Home comforts

Under Antonio Conte, our form at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been nigh on perfect. Having played 10 games at home under the Italian so far, we have won eight of those matches, drawing once and losing the other. Over that period, we have also scored 23 goals in N17.

Our home Premier League form throughout the season has been strong as well. Having played 10 league matches in north London so far, we have taken all three points on seven occasions (D1 L2). It is only the second season in the last decade that we have won at least seven of our first 10 home league outings – we won eight of our first 10 in 2016/17, the final season at White Hart Lane, as we went the entire campaign undefeated at home and finished second in the top flight.

3 - Conte feeling at home

For Antonio Conte, strong home form is a must and, considering his record at Internazionale, it is little surprise he has started to instil a fortress-type feel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. When Antonio joined us back in November, he arrived on the back of a Championship-winning season with Inter and on a run of 16 home league wins on the trot. He quickly extended that to 19 in N17 with wins over Leeds, Brentford and Norwich before our thrilling 2-2 draw with Liverpool on 19 December saw the end of that run – it had been going since November, 2020.

However, going into Wednesday’s game, the Italian remains unbeaten at home in the Premier League as our Head Coach after five games; add his spell at Inter and he is now undefeated in 22 successive home league games. In total, he has collected 13 points from a possible 15 in his five home league games in charge of us thus far (W4 D1).

4 - Saints in N17

And while we are enjoying an impressive run in north London under Antonio, we also have a strong recent record at home against Southampton. On each of the last five occasions that we have hosted the Saints, we have come out on top while we have lost just one of our last 11 home meetings with them - the only defeat a 2-1 loss at White Hart Lane in May, 2016. In total, Southampton have lost 17 away games against us in the history of the Premier League – that is the most they have lost on the road at any side in the competition. They have also conceded 53 goals on their travels to N17 – only at Manchester United (56) and Arsenal (54) have they conceded more.

Our last home meeting with the Saints came behind closed doors in April, 2021, and we claimed all three points with a 2-1 win. Danny Ings had headed the visitors into the lead on the half-hour mark at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but a strike from Gareth Bale on the hour mark before a Heung-Min Son penalty on the stroke of full-time saw us come out on top.

5 - Leading the Saints

In fact, while our home form against Southampton is strong, our record across the board against Wednesday’s opponents is a healthy one. Of our last 19 meetings with the Saints in the league, we have won 13 times (D3 L3) and, interestingly, in each of the top-flight campaigns we have faced them in since 1992, we have won at least one of our meetings – a good omen having drawn our initial encounter earlier this term…

6 - Our last meeting

Back at the end of December, 2021, we were held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton, but it was not for the want of trying. Having fallen behind on the south coast to James Ward-Prowse’s fizzing effort on 25 minutes, we pulled level just before the break – Harry Kane firing in from the penalty spot after Mohamed Salisu had brought down Heung-Min Son in the box. From that moment, the game’s momentum swung in our favour – especially with Salisu dismissed following that foul on Son – and we began to dominate proceedings.

After the break we lay siege to the Saints’ goal and had 16 efforts - eight of them on target – as we knocked on the door for a winner. Ultimately, however, that onslaught was in vain as a resolute defence, as well as an inspired performance from Fraser Forster, kept us at bay, forcing us to settle for a point.

7 - Sonny’s Saint-ly showings

Whenever we play Southampton, Heung-Min Son usually has something to say on the outcome. A player who has developed into one of the greatest attacking threats in English football since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in August, 2015, Sonny has an impressive record in front of goal against most sides. However, when it comes to taking on the Saints, the forward rarely fails to make his mark.

Having faced the men in red and white 14 times in his career to date, our number seven has been involved in 16 goals (11 scored, five assisted) in all competitions – against no side has Sonny contributed to more goals. And in each of his last six appearances against them on the trot, he has been involved in at least one goal (nine - seven scored, two assisted).

8 - Kane firing

Sonny isn’t the only one that has a habit of scoring against Southampton as Harry Kane also holds a fairly strong record in this fixture. Like Sonny, Harry has also found the target 11 times against the Saints in his career to date - of our last 29 goals against Southampton in the top flight, 20 of them have either been scored by Harry (11) or Sonny (9).

However, in terms of goal contributions, our number 10 ever-so-slightly edges the contest between the duo with one more assist (6) than the South Korean. In fact, with his 17 goal involvements against Southampton, which have all come in the league, it also means Harry has contributed to more goals against them than any other player in Premier League history.

9 - Troubles on the road

Over the last couple of seasons, Southampton’s away form in the Premier League has taken a hit. With what was, at first, a strength under Ralph Hasenhuttl following his appointment as manager in December, 2018, in the last 18 months, the Saints have suffered on their travels.

Having lost just 36 per cent of their first 30 away matches in the Premier league under Hasenhuttl, they have since gone on to lose 56 per cent of their next 30, picking up 25 points from a possible 90 (August, 2020 - present) compared to 43 from the first 90 available (December, 2018 – May, 2020). And they come into this game having lost four of their last six league games on the road (W1 D1).

Furthermore, since the start of 2021, they have conceded 57 goals on their league travels – 18 more than any other team in the competition - and that includes the shipping of 16 goals in their last six away matches, conceding at least twice in each game.

10 - Dropping points

It is not just their away form which has been of concern for Southampton this season as they have also been dropping a significant number of points from winning positions. So far this campaign, the Saints have dropped 20 points from winning positions (two of those falling in our 1-1 draw in December) – only Newcastle have dropped more (21). And half of those points (10) have been lost in the last seven league games that they have taken the lead in, going on to hold out for all three points on just two occasions (D5).