Southampton manager Mark Hughes has called on the club’s players to start the new season with a bang.
The Saints had a disappointing campaign last time out finishing in 17th place, just three points above the drop zone.
Their poor form led to the departure of previous manager Mauricio Pellegrino and the appointment of the Welshman, who managed to keep the club in the Premier League, just.
Ahead of the new season, Hughes has revealed that he hopes his players will get off to a good start this season so they can avoid a repeat of last season.
“I think it’s really important. If you have a good start, that can sustain you, because you’re not under pressure to get a result,” Hughes told the official Southampton website.
“If you go two or three games without one, that’s when the pressure builds because that’s how the Premier League is.
“The key for us is to get off to a good start in terms of our home games. We start off at home against a difficult opponent, but it’s one we should expect to win.
“We’ve got to be more progressive at home, capable of being strong defensively but at the top end of the pitch we’ve got to take more risks and try to create more chances. If we do that, we’ll have a good season, in my view.”
OPINION
It was a strange season for Southampton last time out, normally so strong and a comfortable top-half Premier League club, they somehow got sucked into a relegation battle, and that prospect looked almost certain at some points during the season. Their former manager Pellegrino got the team playing a nice brand of football, but they had absolutely no cutting edge and were really dodgy at the back, which is a recipe for disaster. However, the appointment of Mark Hughes was a masterstroke by the club and he was able to galvanise the players and put a run together that allowed them to escape relegation. Now, with the new season approaching, they’ve really strengthened their squad and look in good shape to have a successful season once again. However, as Hughes said, if they don’t get off to a good start then the pressure will be on the manager and team once again.