Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has challenged his side to start delivering during what could end up being a season defining period for them. After narrowly avoiding the drop during recent seasons, the Saints look set to once again be involved in the relegation dog-fight.
“I think every period is important, but this one now against teams around us is very, very important – they are all ‘six-point games’, if you want,” said Hasenhuttl as quoted by Sky Sports.
“Wins are massive and losing is also massive, so this is a very, very important period until Christmas.”
They are currently in 18th place on the League standings and are already 4 points adrift of safety. Further losses during their upcoming games could make it harder and harder for them to avoid the drop this season. The Saints can take plenty of credit from their 2-2 draw with Arsenal last weekend. They were on the verge of completing a morale boosting victory after James Ward-Prowse scored during the second half to give them a 2-1 advantage.
Alexander Lacazette however managed to secure a point for the Gunners by scoring with virtually the last kick of the game. Southampton have two games coming up against fellow strugglers Watford and Norwich. These are certainly games which they can fancy their chances of winning.
Hasenhuttl is no stranger to the relegation dog-fight in the Premier League. He was appointed as the South Coast clubs manager in January 2018 and replaced the sacked Mark Hughes after the club found themselves in relegation trouble. The German helped the club to successfully retain their Premier League status last season and fans will be hoping that he can do the same again this season.
Southampton will have a fairly fit squad to select ahead of their game against Watford as midfielder Stuart Armstrong looks like the only player who is likely to miss the game after he suffered a hamstring problem during the game against Arsenal.
Defender Jannik Vestergaard is likely to be available for selection after returning to training after having recovered from a short-term illness. The Saints can avoid the drop if they start getting a string of positive results during the next month.
