You will rarely see a match preview by me, and this is only the second time I've done one. The reverse fixture of this game was my first article I wrote for NFTV, "The Saints And The Sinners". But that's not why I'm doing this.
As many of you are aware Southampton suffered a 9-0 defeat for the second time under Ralph Hassenhuttl's reign against Manchester United. This could either be positive or negative for the Mags depending on how Hassenhuttl's men respond to the defeat. The Saints confidence could likely be extremely low, such as the case for their previous 9-0 defeat on the 25th of October 2019. Their confidence was in tatters. It took almost a month to get a single point albeit a 2-2 draw vs Arsenal on the 23rd of November 2019, which is a pretty decent result. A week later they did get the full three points versing Watford when they won 2-1.
On the other hand, The Saints hit some good form then on out, trickling into this very season where at one point Southampton were the league leaders, ironically we (Newcastle) put them there after they beat us 2-0 on the 6th of November. Ralph Hassenhuttl will have a point to prove after that heavy defeat, make no mistake. The Saints won't be Saint like in their search for redemption, they'll be out for blood. It may seem like the perfect time to play a team after such a crushing defeat, but I disagree. A loss is a good time to play a team but not after one such as that against the Red Devils. It is a must-win for the German Gaffer and they will go all guns blazing.
So how do we beat them? The simple answer is we press, we pressure and we put balls into their box. This may be the game for Wilson and Carroll to feature. Six of Man United's nine goals came from deliveries into the box. And Southampton's backline could be similar as the red card to Bednarek was rescinded by the FA. With our upcoming fixtures, this is also a must-win for us, with the next three games being Chelsea, Manchester United and Wolves. Bruce also must let Graeme Jones have influence into tomorrow's game. He seems to have injected some spark into a side previously named as poor and boring to watch. Something that can't be said in the victory against Everton and somewhat in the defeat to Palace, although its speculated that Jones was in the stands for the two goals we conceded. This game is also the time to throw the dice on Allan Saint-Maximin if he's fit enough. The width of ASM and Ryan Fraser with Wilson and Carroll to aim at could put the Southampton defence under pressure. Also with the pressing legs of Almiron. Who knows Willock could make a big impact on this game too. It's going to be a tough game for the Mags. But a game we can take something from.
By Sam West.
Howay the Lads!
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