Southampton are now looking forward to the massive Arsenal away fixture at the weekend before the return of the international break. This will be the seventh Premier League matchday and after the next league fixtures against Manchester City and Leicester City, Southampton will have played nine matches, which will complete a quarter of the new Premier League campaign. Currently, the Saints only have one point after six league matches and if Russell Martin’s side couldn’t manage a win in one of these games, the likelihood of them facing a relegation battle will increase towards the end of the season.
Hence, Southampton need to learn from their mistakes and try to improve their performances quickly, in order to overturn their underwhelming start to the season. Recently, Southampton captain Flynn Downes who captained the Saints in the absence of Jack Stephens, admitted collective responsibility on the 3-1 defeat against Bournemouth, saying,
Moreover, Downes suggested the need for improving both individually as well as collectively after the unacceptable away display in the sixth match. Southampton aren’t a good side going forward and have only managed to find the back of the net thrice in the Premier League, thus, they should increase their defensive efforts to keep some important clean-sheets. Further, a great response is needed from the Saints in the upcoming Arsenal match and despite not being the favourites to win, Russell Martin’s side should display defensive resilience throughout the match to have some momentum on their side heading into the upcoming international break.