Southampton will be looking to put an end to their barren run of form at St.Mary’s when they take on Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.
Mark Hughes’ men are yet to win a home game all season and currently sit just one point above the relegation zone.
Meanwhile, the Saints’ upcoming opponents Newcastle are still without a single Premier League victory this campaign, managing to take just two points from their first nine games.
Both sides will be hoping, however, that the additions of Danny Ings and Salomon Rondon — two very capable centre-forwards — can eventually change their fortunes.
Danny Ings
With a struggling strikeforce consisting of the likes of Manolo Gabbiadini and Shane Long, it was imperative for Hughes to bring in a new No.9 over the summer, and in Ings the Southampton boss acquired one who has the potential to fire the club to safety.
Looking at Southampton’s squad, they really should not be getting engulfed into another relegation battle. But the reality is, such a scenario looks a real possibility, especially if the team cannot change their home form around.
With Ings, though, the Saints should now have enough firepower up front to secure safety earlier than the penultimate round of fixtures in the Premier League — unlike last season.
After a bright start to life at St.Mary’s, Ings’ performances have since dwindled in recent weeks. The 26-year-old, however, still has three goals to his name from eight league appearances and easily has what it takes to reach double figures if he can remain fit.
TT Grade: B-
Salomon Rondon
While Ings has been able to make an impact at St. Mary’s, Rondon has struggled at St. James’ Park since joining Newcastle on loan from West Brom back in the beginning of August.
The 29-year-old has missed some of Newcastle’s fixtures because of injury, however, while the team’s overall struggles means it was always going to be difficult for Rondon to be able to come in and instantly deliver based on how poor everyone is playing in this moment of time.
As the season progresses, though, Rondon certainly has the ability to spearhead the Magpies to some more positive results.
The Venezuela international is a powerful striker who is aerially dominant but also has enough pace to trouble defenders when running in behind.
TT Grade: C
TT Verdict:
Ings and Rondon are two very different No.9s. While Rondon thrives with his back towards goal on the halfway line where he can bring his team-mates into play, Ings comes alive inside the box, feeding off half chances.
With that in mind, Rondon is probably the more all-round centre-forward out of the two.
However, Ings has clearly been the more impactful signing so far and, therefore, wins this battle of No.9s.
