Southampton host Newcastle United this Sunday, so HITC Football has looked at where the Saints XI that beat the Toon 4-0 in 2014 are now. Dusan Tadic was a star name on that day.
The south coast side produced a dominant spell against the Toon between 2012 and 2017. Southampton won five and drew three of their nine games after securing promotion to the Premier League. But the Magpies have won six and drawn two of their nine matches since.
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Goals by Che Adams and Stuart Armstrong sealed Southampton’s only win over Newcastle since 2017 at home in November 2020. Ralph Hasenhuttl will now strive to claim what has become a rare win this Sunday against a Toon XI that entered the weekend in the top four.
Newcastle have only lost one of their 13 Premier League games while winning and drawing six so far this term. In contrast, Southampton started the weekend in 17th place with a one-point margin to the drop zone. The Saints have lost seven of their 13 fixtures to three wins.
Southampton beat Newcastle 4-0 twice in 2014 to cap their dominant period
Southampton beat Newcastle 4-0 twice in 2014 to cap off the dominant period against the Toon that the Saints produced. Both resounding results also came at St Mary’s with Ronald Koeman repeating Mauricio Pochettino’s victory after replacing the Argentine at the helm.
Only three players started both wins with Jose Fonte, Jack Cork and Steven Davis retaining their positions under Koeman. Davis also had to take on a different role in the Dutchman’s system, having dropped from a right-wing role under Pochettino to be a central midfielder.
Not one of the 11 players whom Koeman started in September 2014 still play for the Saints today. So, ahead of Newcastle’s trip to Southampton on Sunday, HITC Football takes a look back at the Dutchman’s XI that beat the Toon and where the players he started are now…
Fraser Forster (GK): Star of Southampton’s 4-0 win vs Newcastle now at Tottenham
Fraser Forster shut Newcastle out as Southampton edged the Toon 4-0 in September 2014 after signing from Celtic that August. The goalkeeper moved for £10m and he stayed at St Mary’s until this June. He joined Tottenham Hotspur as a free agent following 162 outings.
Nathaniel Clyne (RB): Star of Southampton’s win vs Newcastle now at Crystal Palace
Nathaniel Clyne extended his stay at Crystal Palace with a new one-year contract this June. The 31-year-old moved to Selhurst Park in a free transfer following his release by Liverpool in 2020. He had joined the Reds from Southampton in 2015 for £12.5m after 104 matches.
Jose Fonte (CB): Lille captain skippered Southampton in a 4-0 win against Newcastle
Fonte skippered the Southampton ship as Koeman’s Saints side won at home to Newcastle 4-0 in 2014. The 38-year-old is now the captain of Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille after joining them in 2018. He quit DL Yifang for Lille 18 months after leaving St Mary’s for West Ham United.
Toby Alderweireld (CB): Ex-Saints star is now the skipper at Royal Antwerp
Toby Alderweireld spent the 2014/15 term on loan to Southampton from Atletico Madrid. His form on the south coast preceded Pochettino then paying £11.5m to take him to Tottenham in 2015. The Belgian remained in north London through to 2021 and joining Al-Duhail SC.
Yet Alderweireld only spent a year in Qatar before returning to his native Belgium this July with Royal Antwerp. The 33-year-old is now the captain of the Pro League outfit. The 123-cap star is also still a mainstay of Roberto Martinez’s Belgium side ahead of the World Cup.
Ryan Bertrand (LB): Injuries continue to plague the defender’s Leicester career
Injuries continue to plague Ryan Bertrand’s career since the left-back joined Leicester City in a free transfer. He has only featured 11 times for the Foxes since the 33-year-old moved to the King Power Stadium following his contract with Southampton expiring in June 2021.
Jack Cork (CDM): Burnley’s captain scored as Southampton beat Newcastle 4-0
Cork got in on the scoring with Southampton’s third in the south coast side’s 4-0 win over Newcastle in 2014. The midfielder only offered three goals over his 152 appearances with the Saints. He returned in 2011 after a previous loan spell and stayed at the team to 2015.
Swansea City signed Cork from Southampton in 2015 and called on his services for just two full seasons. Burnley swooped in 2017 to seal a £10m move for the player who is now their captain. Vincent Kompany awarded the 33-year-old the armband after taking over in June.
Morgan Schneiderlin (CM): Everton sold the midfielder to Nice in 2020
Morgan Schneiderlin rounded off the scoring as Southampton beat Newcastle 4-0 in 2014. The Frenchman met substitute James Ward-Prowse’s pass in the 90th minute to hit one of his 15 goals in 261 games for the Saints. The 32-year-old had joined the club back in 2008.
Manchester United ended Schneiderlin’s lengthy St Mary’s stay in 2015 with a £25m move. Yet he only played at Old Trafford to January 2017 as Everton paid £22m. The Toffees later sold the midfielder to his current club, OGC Nice, in June 2020 at a huge discount for £2m.
Steven Davis (CM): Rangers re-signed the Northern Irishman from Southampton
Rangers re-signed Davis following his contract with Southampton expiring in 2019 and still have the 37-year-old on their books today. The midfielder had left Ibrox for St Mary’s back in 2012. The 136-cap Northern Ireland captain played 226 times at the Saints for 14 goals.
Shane Long (RW): Reading signed the striker following his release by Southampton
Reading hired Shane Long as a free agent in July following his release by Southampton. The striker signed a one-year deal at the Championship club after eight years under contract at St Mary’s. He joined the Saints from Hull City for £12m and scored 37 goals in 245 fixtures.
Graziano Pelle (ST): Italian broke the deadlock as Southampton beat Newcastle 4-0
Graziano Pelle broke the deadlock and scored Southampton’s second goal in the Saints’ 4-0 win over Newcastle in September 2014. The Italian had joined the Saints from Feyenoord that July for £8m. Yet he only stayed for two years before moving to China with SD Luneng.
Southampton sold the striker for £13m after he entered the final year of his contract. The 37-year-old scored 30 goals in 80 outings for the club. He is now a free agent after leaving Parma in June 2021 following his return to Europe with the Italian team earlier in the year.
Dusan Tadic (LW): Ajax captain was a star of Southampton’s 4-0 win vs Newcastle
Tadic was a headline name of Southampton’s 4-0 win over Newcastle in September 2014. He had joined the south coast side from FC Twente that July for £11m. The 90-cap Serbia skipper would stay at St Mary’s until 2018 when Ajax paid £10m for his Eredivisie return.
The 33-year-old left Southampton after 24 goals and 35 assists in 162 games, including an assist to beat Newcastle 4-0. Tadic is now Ajax’s captain since 2019 and has 94 goals from 211 games. He also has 99 assists and could reach 100 against PSV Eindhoven on Sunday.
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