Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier insists the Saints need to get seven points from their next three games to expel some of the early season negativity.
It’s been a poor start to Will Still’s tenure at St Mary’s. After coming from behind to snatch a late victory over Wrexham on the opening day, the Hampshire-based side welcome Championship leaders Middlesbrough to Hampshire this afternoon on a run of five league games without a win.
Last weekend saw them lose 3-1 at Hull City in a bitterly disappointing afternoon. As a result, they dropped to 19th in the table and sit just one point above the relegation places.
Le Tissier Convinced Of Better Times Ahead
It’s arguably a pivotal week for Southampton, who will play three fixtures over the next week. They start with this afternoon’s visit of Middlesbrough before a tough trip to Sheffield United on Tuesday. The Saints then host fellow strugglers Derby County next weekend.
Despite their minimal points return, former striker Le Tissier believes two wins and a draw is achievable and could kick start a surge up the table. Speaking to The Daily Echo, he said:
“It’s been a disappointing start in terms of points. The biggest issue for me is the fact the squad changed so much late in the window.
“We’ve sold two of our best young talents [Matty Fernandes, Tyler Dibling] and obviously had to make some late replacements. They’ve come in.
“Now it’s Will’s job to get them to settle into a formation that they’re comfortable with and for Will to find out what his best team is.
“I would say you want at least seven points in these next three games,” added Le Tissier. “It’s been a poor start in terms of points returned so far.
“We’ve dropped points in games we probably shouldn’t have done. so I think it’s important that we are certainly unbeaten over these next three games.
“At least two wins are needed just to bolster everyone’s confidence a little bit and give the fans the belief that we can make a serious challenge this year.”
Writer’s View
Although Southampton seem stuck in a rut, their performances as a whole haven’t been reflected in their points return. Their loss at Hull was pretty poor but they showed against Premier League champions Liverpool on Tuesday that they could be on the verge of turning a corner. A result against Middlesbrough this afternoon would be a huge confidence boost, especially because Rob Edwards’ side have dropped just two points all season. Seven points over the next three fixtures is a tough ask but not completely out of the question.
