The former Queens Park Rangers forward has found his goal-scoring boots under Claude Puel.
Southampton’s Charlie Austin
At one point considered the perfect strike-partner for Harry Kane, Charlie Austin’s last couple of years have been hampered by unfortunate injuries at setbacks. Despite this, Austin guarantees his teams one essential thing: goals, and after spending a year out of the Premier League, the former Burnley and QPR striker has found himself back where he belongs with Southampton.
Southampton’s Charlie Austin shakes hands with Swansea City’s Lukasz Fabianski
After another summer of selling, Charlie Austin found himself in an important position at the beginning of the 2016/17 Premier League season, having to come in and fill the boots of prolific former Saints man, Graziano Pelle. The pressure was on for Austin to deliver, but Saints fans were resoundingly confident that, should he stay fit, Austin could be the target man to keep Southampton achieving.
Southampton’s Charlie Austin applauds fans after the game
However, August did not start well for the Saints. Two 1-1 draws with both Watford and Sunderland, as well as a 0-2 away defeat to Manchester United, resulted in a month without a win for Puel’s side, proving that there was still a lot of work to be done on moulding this Saints side from that of Koeman’s style, to his own.
Southampton manager Claude Puel speaks with Charlie Austin
And after a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Arsene Wenger’s impressive Arsenal side, Southampton did begin to finally click. Following an impressive 3-0 win against Sparta Prague in the Europa League, the Saints picked up their first win of the Premier League season with a 1-0 victory at home to Swansea City, with Charlie Austin scoring the vital goal.
Southampton’s Charlie Austin scores their first goal
Following that, Southampton finished the month of September with two more wins, the first coming at home to Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace, where Austin opened the scoring with a penalty.
Southampton’s Charlie Austin celebrates scoring their first goal
Topping off an excellent turn in form with an electric performance against West Ham United, who they bought to the sword in an impressive 0-3 away win. Austin was again on the score-sheet, once again opening the game up with the first goal.
Southampton’s Charlie Austin scores their first goal
Southampton’s league form really looked to have sparked into life, and October started in much the same vein of form. After a 0-0 draw with the Premier League champions, Leicester City, the Saints put newly promoted Burnley to task in a rampant 3-1 win. Austin again broke the deadlock from open play, and took his tally for the game to two from the penalty spot against his former club.
Southampton’s Charlie Austin scores their third goal with a penalty
A draw with Pep Guardiola’s impressive Manchester City side (1-1), as well as 1-0 win against Sunderland and a 2-0 loss to an very inform Chelsea side, left Southampton fans smiling at the end of October. Once again, under a new manager and a new system, the Saints were flying, and for that they had Charlie Austin to thank for. As the Saints out and out top scorer, the English forward had fired the south-coast team once more towards the European places.
Southampton’s Charlie Austin celebrates with his team
Though November didn’t get off to the best of starts for Southampton in the Premier League, after a 2-1 defeat to Hull City (again, Austin opened the scoring with a penalty) and a 0-0 draw with Liverpool, the Saints ended the month with another win against their former manager, Ronald Koeman’s Everton. Again, the target man opened the scoring, this time in the first minute of the game.
Southampton’s Charlie Austin scores their first goal
Perhaps the most in-form English striker in the Premier League, Charlie Austin has once again proven that he can score goals at the highest level, and not just in the Premier League, but Europe as well. With Gareth Southgate now at the helm in the England manager hot seat, it would be hard to see how Charlie Austin couldn’t find his way into an England shirt in the near future.
Southampton’s Charlie Austin celebrates scoring their first goal
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