Southampton had another very satisfactory season. The Saints finished a very credible sixth in the table, one place higher than in the previous campaign. An early exit from the Europa League was a major shock and an indifferent first half of the season saw them as low as twelfth at the midway point. Manager Ronald Koeman turned things around after that and they were in the hunt for a place in the top four right up until the last couple of games of the season. The return of Fraser Forster from injury marked an upturn in results and performances, while centre back Virgil van Dijk was impressive all season long. Sadio Mane and Shane Long were excellent at various points during the campaign and had they have been more consistent the Saints would have had little difficulty finishing in the top four. Koeman remains in charge for next season and with some more clever recruitment during the off-season will be hoping for further improvement in 2016/2017
