Romain Perraud will be Southampton’s first choice left back for 2021. He stood out at Brest in 2020-21, playing more minutes than any Southampton player except James Ward-Prowse.

Success at right back

Signing Kyle Walker-Peters improved Southampton twice: consistent at right back and progressive enough to let Stuart Armstrong find more space across midfield. Armstrong stepped up his creation so far that Hasenhüttl can’t leave him out of RM/”wide 10” (which we can call “no 17”) when he’s available.

The left wing problem

At the start of the 2021 transfer window there are five wingers competing for one LM place plus occasional second-striker cameos - Djenepo, Elyounoussi, Redmond, Tella, Walcott. Most/all of those are suited to penalty area runs, dribbles, crosses and shots.

With Perraud overlapping and Armstrong passing, there will be more movement that didn’t exist when Bertrand or Salisu were pinned to the back line after January 2020.

That position was Southampton’s main attacking weakness last season, none of them clearly first choice. Yet Hasenhüttl has innovated even during the most difficult periods, and this is a tactical challenge not just a player suitability issue.

How will it tactically work?

If it goes well, Perraud will release one or more of those wingers to find final third space, arrive late in the box, and press aggressively across the whole back line, while he joins the attack at key moments.

If it goes badly, those wingers will still be too peripheral, not contributing enough to creativity, pressing or transition, lacking in automatisms.

Then what?

If Hasenhüttl can’t find the answer after pre-season and two months of league matches, when fatigue and the fixture list starts to build, 4-2-2-2 probably won’t survive. With no squad depth and limited attacking contribution from other midfielders, there’s no option to leave all of those attacking players out, such as with 3ATB.

A natural progression is to 4-3-3, narrowing the midfield with Armstrong and letting the third player joining Ings (if healthy) and Adams, to link the midfield and attack. Hasenhüttl pressing-ball would have to be turned down through that period, but at least the team will have the energy to avoid breaking this time around.