Svensson the enforcer of a Saintly surge

Southampton are on a bit of a roll. Those words are not the common currency of the Premiership. In fact, after nine defeats in the first 13 games, the Saints seemed odds on to christen their new St Mary's Stadium with a return to a league better suited to their beloved old Dell. Try telling that now to Leicester, Sunderland, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool, who have all succumbed to the renewed spirit impressively instilled by Gordon Strachan since his arrival two months ago.

From his training-ground Portakabin, Strachan himself is hard put to explain the extraordinary turnaround, which has lifted Southampton to the giddy heights of 12th in the table and suddenly made a visit to the south coast one of the less coveted awaydays on the calendar. It is the timing of Southampton's resurgence which is so typically contrary. By 2 February, Southampton will have played Manchester United (twice), Liverpool (twice), Leeds, Chelsea and Arsenal, in the space of a sadistic five weeks. Liverpool were comfortably seen off last Wednesday, Leeds were fortunate to slip away with the points after a last-minute winner, Chelsea were humbled. No wonder, with the second of the two matches against Manchester United at St Mary's this after-noon, Strachan has been like a Grand National jockey, never daring to look beyond the next obstacle. A 6-1 thrashing at Old Trafford was a salutary reminder of the Premier League's celestial order.

A sunny lunchtime at Southampton's tight little training ground brings a glimpse of a club in clover. Strachan orchestrates a rumbustious short-sided competition, designed to sharpen reflexes and mimic Premier League pace. Most of the players troop wearily back to the changing rooms while Strachan puts the strikers through their final paces, feeding them balls on the penalty spot to nurture the feeling of scoring.

Among the quartet is the flop-haired figure of Anders Svensson, not a recognised striker but an attacking midfielder whose robust tackling and quick feet have been at the core of Southampton's revival. Against Leeds, the Swede was comfortably the most influential player on the park, unlucky not to cap a fine display with a goal. He still smarts at one miss, just before half-time when, having created a yard of space for himself inside the Leeds penalty area, he sliced his left- foot shot high and wide. Mention of it prompts a wry smile.

"I know the one and I'm still angry," Svensson says. "I'm getting used to the pace of the Premier League, really starting to enjoy myself, but I need to score more goals. I know that." Strachan knows it too and is glad to hear that the 25-year-old from Gothenburg has a good memory. "Yeah, he should be scoring more," says the Scot. "But the good thing is that he's making chances for himself. He's doing well. He's got quick feet and he's brave, not just in the sense of tackling, but brave on the ball. He's prepared to hang on to the ball and take a kick in order to wait for the right pass."

Strachan admits to having known little about the squat midfielder when he arrived. "I'd watched the tapes, but he seemed to play on the right of midfield." The purchase of Paul Telfer from his old club at Coventry freed Svensson to take up his regular position in central midfield. "It wasn't some blinding tactical insight," Strachan happily admits.

So what was it? Instinct? A touch of managerial brilliance? "No, desperation, I think."

Either way, Svensson has thrived on a return to the role in which he learnt his trade at Elfsborg, a small-town club about 30km outside Gothenburg. In his best season, Svensson scored 10 goals in 22 games for his club to earn an automatic place in the Swedish side for the World Cup qualifying campaign. He marked his full debut, in Azerbaijan, by scoring what proved to be the decisive goal after 10 minutes, though his best sporting memory remains the penalty which helped little Elfsborg beat AIK Stockholm in the Swedish Cup last year. Several clubs showed their interest in the combative young Swede, but Southampton made the first move, and £750,000 is beginning to look like robbery.

"I was actually a Liverpool supporter when I was a boy," he recalls. "But I loved the Premier League and I love this city and the people. I'm very happy here. I've bought a flat with beautiful high ceilings near the water at Ocean Village and have been busy buying Swedish-style furniture to put in it. I feel very settled now." A goal this afternoon would be timely. United and England have been warned.