Ward-Prowse credits formation change for Southampton upturn

James Ward-Prowse believes the switch of formation by Claude Puel is behind Southampton’s upturn in Premier League fortunes.

The introduction of Manolo Gabbiadini has allowed Koeman to switch to a 4-2-3-1 against Sunderland and the Saints won 4-0.

After a 3-2 defeat in the League Cup final, the Saints bounced back with another four goals on the road against Watford last weekend.

And Ward-Prowse insists Gabbiadini is vital to the new way Southampton are playing as they look to increase their strike rate in front of goal.

“Every system is different but this has worked in the last few games and everyone’s enjoyed it,” Ward-Prowse said.

“It’s something that has been done to help the team improve and we’ve shown it to be the correct decision with the amount of goals we’ve scored.

(Photo credit GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)

“The system has helped as well but the introduction of Manolo has helped massively. He’s created healthy competition and every squad needs that. That’s a good thing for everyone.

“It was the perfect way to bounce back. Everyone was disappointed with the result last week and we used that as a springboard to put things right.

“It was a strange feeling after the game. If we’d lost 2-0 at Wembley we’d have been more disappointed. We certainly deserved the win so took the positives.”