Could this be the most important game of the season for Saints as they look to pull out of the freefall of the past few weeks.

When I wrote at the start of December that this month would shape the season, little did i know how spectacularly we would collapse, in truth we failed to heed the warning signs of November when we revelled in a couple of home victories but didnt really give credence to the fact that both Fulham & Hull had poor away records, the message coming out of St Mary's was boastful in nature and it was setting us up for a fall.

So we head up to Cardiff knowing this is our best chance of winning a game out of the next three, the only trouble is with the goings on at The Bluebirds or Red Dragons or whatever they are now called, the atmosphere on Boxing Day could either make them unbeatable or cause them to crumble.

Team selection will be vital, I have said many times that we should not blame the fringe players for the downturn in form, their only crime is to pull on a Saints shirt and try their best, the past six months, nay eighteen months have seen us fail to improve the squad to the level it should have been, we have spent big, but when you are looking at over £30 million pounds worth of players who have come in and added little, the blame for our form does not lay at the feet of Danny Fox, Jos Hooiveld or Paulo Gazzaniga, it lays with whoever was responsible for buying the likes Vegard Forren, Mayuka and Gaston Ramirez and I could mention more.

Having said all this I fee that the doom and gloom showed by some supporters is not as founded as they claim, the players who have come in have won points for Saints both this season and last and in some tough games as well, perhaps those who hate Danny Fox so much would do well to remember when we beat Man City last season, this highlights that if you get behind a player then he can raise his game, if you get on his back then his game will deterioate, there is a lesson to be learnt here and a sizable minority havent learnt it yet.

So what we need up in Wales is a display in the manner of what we used to get from Saints teams over the years when they find themselves in adversity, that is a rolling up of the sleeves and a battling performance that gets a win that turns a season.

If we lose at Cardiff then its hard to see how we can beat Everton away or Chelsea at home, morale will hve sunk even further.

For Mauricio Pochettino its a big game too, the press that were acclaiming him only a few weeks ago and were mentioning him as a possible Spurs manager are now suggesting that he is a one trick pony, that he can play only one way and when that style is compromised he doesnt have a plan B.

The last six games have certainly given food for thought for that, and its now down to the Saints boss to show that they are wrong.

What Pochettino needs to do now is get back to basics, get square pegs in square holes, this means either play Rickie Lambert as the central striker or dont play him at all, harsh, but no reflection on Rickie's ability, he is a player who can play in one way, he excels in that style, but you would no more play Luke Shaw as centre forward than Rickie as a wide man. Throwing on Sam Gallagher on Sunday was worrying, the manager was gambling, we had three centre forwards on the pitch, yet we rarely got a cross into the box against a Spurs keeper who was flapping.

When things arent going right for a team, the players want to know where they should play and keep it simple, they dont want revolving systems or complicated tactical formations, its get back to basics and then you can impose fancy play when you are winning games.

Lose to Cardiff and you have to be starting to think that the manager could be on stony ground, he is on the worse run of any Saints boss since the arrival of Nicola Cortese, given his comments in the past, you have to wonder if he will continue to keep faith with the manager.

I hope he does, I really like the way that Pochettino puts out teams, I want him to show us that he does have a plan B, that we can turn it around and we can do things differently, many Saints fans ar now facing up to the reality that we could be lucky to finish in the top 10 let alone the top 5, hopefully the Chairman will do the same and accept that sometimes progress is not as swift as all involved would like.

The two players everyone will be looking at will be Jose Fonte,is he injured or is there some other issue, similarly Osvaldo, if those two are back in the starting line up then perhaps there is hope, if they arent then the whispers will start to get louder.

Saints are not a club in crisis, at least not yet, however they are now exactly the same number of points from the bottom three as they are the top three, we cannot afford another six games as the last half dozen.

Photo: Action Images

slynch added 13:01 - Dec 25 So you think that players like Osvaldo, Boruc, Wanyama, Lovren have added little and failed to improve the squad. And who ever bought them is at fault for the sad demise of Southampton FC over the last few years. Oh dear! Didn't Santa visit you last night? ***HAPPY CHRISTMAS NICK AND CONTRIBUTORS ONE AND ALL***
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SaintNick added 13:31 - Dec 25 Osvaldo - Neglible Boruc - over a year ago Wanyama - He has improved the team but perhaps not the squad as Cork was marginalised till Wanyama got injured Lovren - Un mitigated success Our problem this season has been we used 12 players to distraction meaning that when called upon the fringe players are not match fit either physically or mentally, because they were never played it was assumed they would be good enough, suddenly we found out they werent, Its nothing about Santa or would you have rather had a preview that to the casual reader would have seemed that we had won the last six not only got two points PS Happy Xmas to you as well, after all its only football and opinions

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davepid added 13:42 - Dec 25 Happy Christmas Nick. Thanks for all your thoughts throughout the year and for keeping the site so stimulating and wide ranging. Even on Xmas day you are at it. Enjoy your holiday and best wishes to you and the site in 2014. Coyr
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slynch added 13:48 - Dec 25 Yea StNick you're right. As Shankley said "Football is not a matter of life and death, its more important than that." Ho Ho Ho
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tiptop added 14:11 - Dec 25 Our performances have not been complete disasters. The team spirit appears intact. Spurs game was below par for a MoPo team though Some signings have been questionable of course. Not all will be a success. But MoPo's signings (and Im pretty sure they were his) have been sound though. VW and DL in particular. DOsv is still 'adapting'. Im ok with that for now. Regarding fringe players. Some are up for the task. Others simply are not good enough. Cork and Chambers are. Yos H and Danny Fox are in the not category. Simple. Misdirected transfer funds? Yes. But MoPo can stand by his. The difference in the team without Wanyama and the set back 4 is clear. Although his passing is not always good enough VW adds more to the team than he takes away.

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montecristo added 19:31 - Dec 25 I just hope that MoPo and Cortese are at one with regard to the deficiency of the squad, it needs two or three additions at least if we are to march back up the table especially at center half. I also think it was a mistake letting Puncheon go, maybe there was a personal reason involved, but he should have been replaced and wasnt. The team needs a central attacking mid if Osvaldo is to be made proper use of. It should have been Ramirez but to my frustration MoPo does not like him. Wish we knew the truth of this because I am pretty sure he will do great back in Italy and we will be left wondering what might have been. Which would be criminal.Cortese shrewd man that he is , is not prepared to offload him but will let him go out on loan.Anybody who doubts the boy s ability needs to look at vídeos of him on you tube he looks a diferent player.

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NigD added 20:41 - Dec 25 We have not played too badly, just defended very badly. The reason as most know is the bad luck with injuries. Boruc is the only very good keeper we have had since Neimi. To lose him alone was bad enough, but to lose other huge players at the same time has caused our loss of points. No mention on the injury 'crisis' in this report. And I am sorry if Fox and Jos were not playing and the regulars available, then do you really think we would have lost to Spurs? No chance. Newcastle was a good point, that might have been three if our leading own goalscorer knew which was his right and left foot. We have competed well in nearly all the games this season. Once our players are back in the New Year and maybe a shrewd addition, I for one feel confident that we are still in a good place. Talk of MP, being a one trick pony is a cheap shot against somebody who has elevated our profile and playing style to a very different level. As probably expected by all Saints Supporters. A few injuries to our most important players and we were always going to struggle. The team with the best subs bench neatly always wins the match? Would Liverpool really be at the top without Suarez??? One player?

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Sango123 added 03:49 - Dec 26 To put it simply, we are in more of a misery and crisis than Totteham. Our last 6 game form is probably the worst in the premier league. I hope we go for a win at Cardiff to stop the rot as the games after that is against Everton and Chelsea which is even tougher (no offense to Cardiff). I hope MoPo changes his mind when he said the squad is fine. The last 6 games has proven the squad is not fine. Lets move on from good and bad signings, who sign them etc. Stop blaming on injuries as MoPo is the one who confirm the squad. He is the one who oversees the squad during the transfer window. He is also the one who believes Fox, Hooiveld, Gazza are all good enough despite last seasons' performance. MoPo is responsible for this slump just as he takes credit for our good run. I am not advocating for any change in management but i hope he takes a good hard look at the squad and get the necessary replacements in the coming Jan transfer window.

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Toussaint added 11:15 - Dec 26 Nothing wrong with Fonte ,except him being from Portugal ,if he leaves him out again today,it will be through nothing else but stubborness
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