We’re in good spirit and good physical shape
Tomorrow will see us come up against Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl for the third time although this will be the first time he’s managed his team against us at St. Mary’s with the first two having both been at the Turf.
Last season’s game ended in a 1-1 draw while we beat the Saints 3-0 at home on the opening day of this season and Hasenhüttl wants his team to show us just how much they’ve improved since that game back in August.
Referring to that defeat at Burnley, he said: “It was a long time ago. It’s time to take another win at St. Mary’s. It’s a tough opponent, not an easy game. There are a lot of things we have to pay attention to, and the first game against Burnley we lost, so we have to show that we can do better.
“Everybody knows they are a robust team, who are well organised, and with their set pieces and high balls into the box they are always dangerous. They gave good strikers who can always score, so it’s a dangerous opponent.”
Southampton had a shortened break because of their FA Cup replay against Spurs, but he gave them time off. “It was good,” he said. “They had a schedule to work a little bit, with some running, but they had five days off and have come back with a lot of energy and wanting to work hard again.
“There has been a lot of talking between the guys and you can feel there is a good commitment and they enjoy working on the pitch. Being back on the ball is good for them and it’s fantastic.”
Ahead of the game, Clarets’ boss Sean Dyche spoke about his midfielder Joe Cork who will be hoping to make his 150th league appearance for us. “Football is littered with fantastic professionals who are not always recognised for that professional side of what they do,” Dyche said of the midfielder he signed from Swansea in the summer of 2017.
“Corky is a fantastic pro, there’s no two ways about it. He does go slightly under the radar, similar to a few others here including Jeff and Westy, but managers and coaches love these true pros who get out there and you can ask them to play anywhere and they’ll do it without question.
“James Milner is the one that springs to mind, because he does everything he can to be successful, and Jack is in that mould. He is a very unassuming character but he has a real inner strength and he will go on any Premier League pitch in the country and say I’m ready to deliver.
“That’s an amazing quality to have because as those who know him will appreciate he’s quite quiet, almost borderline timid at times, but you put him on a football pitch and he’s a different animal. He deserves massive amounts of credit for being that type of character, to go around the country ready and willing to do his bit.”
Looking forward to the Southampton game, Dyche said of our opponents: “Tactically they will be different. They were playing method bound football with three at the back and trying to play out from the keeper through the back three and into midfield, but now, it looks slightly different.
“They had a tough result against Leicester (they were beaten 9-0 at home back in October) and have come out of that with a more simplistic version of a 4-4-2. They are running hard and get the ball forward slightly quicker, but they can still play, so it’s certainly not an easy game.
“But they have conceded eleven in their last four games, so like all of us they haven’t got everything sussed. So we go there with our own mentality, which has been really strong in the last few games. We’re in good spirit and good physical shape and ready to go.”
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