OPINION
Southampton manager Mark Hughes will undoubtedly want to avoid another relegation dog-fight this season after they hung on by the skin of their teeth last time out.
One reason for the demise last term was the Saints’ impotence in front of goal – however, based on their showing against Leicester on Saturday afternoon, Hughes has a right to be fearing for their Premier League lives.
Their serious lack of a cutting edge in attack was heavily exposed, particularly as striker duo Danny Ings and Shane Long did not really trouble the Foxes’ defence made up of Harry Maguire and Wes Morgan.
Both defenders’ height mean that Southampton struggled in aerial duels, but the limited service that they were receiving is rather worrying for the club and their future in the Premier League.
Against Leicester, not enough balls were played in and around the front two of Ings and Long, which was mainly down to the fact that they were extremely poor in their possession.
This lack of potency needs to be addressed imminently, otherwise the Saints are going to be in for a long, drawn-out season.
The fact that their only goal came from defender Ryan Bertrand has only gone to reinforce the fact that they are struggling in this department.
The South Coast team look destined for the Championship if they maintain these types of displays, and they are not at the standard required to hack it in the top-flight.
Yes Hughes brought in two new strikers, but they have failed to gel with the team and as a result, they look disjointed and able to function altogether.
They need to step it up quickly, but that will be hard for a team who fail to keep hold of the ball in the midfield, which ultimately feeds the attack.
Hughes’ men never really got started against Claude Puel’s team, and another relegation battle may be on the cards sooner than they would have wanted, with the Welshman surely fearing for his team’s life if this continues.