Will Still must make big Southampton starting XI decision ASAP - It's crucial | OneFootball

The Saints manager has an array of strong centre-forward options to choose from

Southampton have endured a mixed start to the Will Still era with one victory, two draws and a solitary defeat in the opening month of the campaign.

Following the second-worst ever season in Premier League history under Russell Martin and Ivan Juric, it was clear a major rebuild was needed when the club announced the appointment of Will Still prior to the off-season.

Unsurprisingly, in comparison to the majority of their Championship rivals, the Saints possess an extremely strong squad with plenty of experienced second-tier campaigners to call upon, many of whom were also a part of the play-off winning campaign at St Mary's two seasons ago.

Still has gained a reputation as one of the most highly-rated managers in England and Europe following his exploits in France and Belgium. Over time, supporters on the South Coast will hope the 32-year-old is the man to return the club to it's former standpoint as an established top-flight side.

The main objective, for the time being, is to get promoted as soon as possible - a feat which many outsiders have also predicted. After a mixed start to the campaign, Still will be hoping his side can fully click into gear, although he must provide clarity on where those in the centre-forward department currently stand.

Will Still has an embarrassment of attacking riches at Championship level with Southampton FC

As previously highlighted, Still has one of the division's strongest squads at his disposal, which includes an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the striking options he's able to select.

Despite moving on the likes of Ben Brereton Diaz - who joined Derby County on loan - and the largely underwhelming Paul Onuachu, Southampton were able to retain all of Adam Armstrong, Cameron Archer and Ross Stewart, whilst also bringing in USMNT forward Damion Downs for €8m from newly-promoted Bundesliga side, FC Koln.

All of Armstrong, Archer and Stewart have previously showcased high-end Championship quality in varying sample sizes.

Armstrong has netted 80 times in 252 appearances at the level and ended the 2023/24 campaign as the second-highest scorer behind Sammie Szmodics, also scoring the decisive goal against Leeds United at Wembley.

Archer still has plenty of potential to fulfil, yet will hope to match his output during a successful short-term loan stint at Middlesbrough under Michael Carrick in 2023, where he found the back of the net 11 times and posted six assists in just 20 regular-season appearances.

Meanwhile Stewart, for all his injury problems, also took the second-tier by storm with Sunderland upon the Black Cats' return to the league in 2022/23 with 10 goals and three assists in just 13 appearances.

As a result, Still has been left with somewhat of a dilemma, especially when throwing the newly-recruited Downs into the equation. However, the Saints boss cannot afford to get into an unhealthy habit which has been evident in the early weeks of the season.

Will Still must settle on first-choice Southampton FC striker as Championship season progresses

On the opening day against Wrexham and the following league encounters against Ipswich Town and Stoke City, Armstrong was selected as Saints' starting striker, yet the 28-year-old has failed to last the course of 90 minutes so far and is yet to find the back of the net.

Archer, who was reportedly of interest to PSV Eindhoven late in the summer window, has since scored on two occasions. A neat finish in the EFL Cup against Norwich City saw the 23-year-old grasp the opportunity of his first league start with a second goal in a matter of days in the 2-2 draw at Watford.

Meanwhile, Stewart, who cost the club £9m two summers ago, is yet to fully show the St Mary's faithful what he is capable of, a theme which has continued so far this season, with three of his four appearances coming off the bench, with Downs enduring the same fate in the early weeks of his Saints career.

Given the arduous and unrelenting nature of a 46-game season, it is likely that all four strikers will gain their fair share of minutes. However, Still cannot afford to constantly chop and change, as it denies the chance for the rest of his creative forces, such as new recruit, Tom Fellows, to play towards their strengths, denying the side any rhythm and cohesion in the most important area of the pitch.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see Archer continue in the starting role post-international break given his recent exploits, and doing so after a further two-week gap to work on the training pitch would only boost Saints' chances of earning a second league win of the season against bitter rivals Portsmouth.