Southampton boss drops team selection hint ahead of Middlesbrough as poor form continue

Last night, Southampton were defeated 1-0 at home by Ipswich Town in the Championship.
Southampton and Ipswich Town were separated by an entire division last season. However, when the two teams played in the Championship last night, one appeared to be far ahead of the other.

Ipswich Town won another stunning away game last weekend, defeating Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 at Hillsborough.

Kieran McKenna’s side is still second in the Championship league, having won six of their first seven games this season, including a 4-3 victory over Leeds United at home last month.

The situation in Southampton is much different. Russell Martin’s men have plummeted all the way to 11th in the Championship after three straight defeats, with the Saints surrendering ten goals and netting just one.

The task at St Mary’s may be more difficult than expected, and Martin has hinted that some changes to the starting lineup may be made ahead of the weekend encounter with Middlesbrough.

Following last night’s setback, he told the club:

“We have options for Saturday.” I’m not sure if the team will look the same yet; I’ll have to watch the game and see how everyone is, but the players who get on the field must be good.

Southampton has a new arrival…
Right now, something needs to give for Southampton.

They’ve been terrible in their last few games, and if this trend continues, Martin will fast become a man under pressure.

What he means by ‘bravest’ players remains to be seen. He could be referring to athletes with greater mental toughness when trailing, or he could be referring to those with a bit more physical edge.

A journey to Middlesbrough, albeit easier than their previous outings, remains difficult. Boro are obviously beatable, and they won’t be looking forward to a game against Southampton, so Martin sees it as an opportunity to get back on track.

Saturday’s game begins at 3 p.m.