Saints go to Molyneux looking to avoid a fourth Premier League defeat in a row, can they do it and what changes will Ralph Hasenhuttl make.

Ralph Hasenhuttl needs to be decisive as he picks his team for the trip to Wolverhampton Wanders on Saturday, as mentioned in articles earlier in the week he does not seem to be getting too much help from an inexperienced coaching staff, but he himself is strong enough to trust his own judgement.

Therefore I think he needs to bring in two players to the team, in goal I think Alex McCarthy should play, I do not think he is the long term option and I go into the reasons in more detail in the article linked below.

https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/southampton/news/51075/gunn-or-mccarthy-

But although I do not think he is the solution going forward, I think in the short term he can do a job and that job is needed now, with a ramshackle centre of defence in front of our keeper, Gunn needs to be out of the firing line and a more experienced man who can perhaps organise a bit more brought in.

As also stated earlier in the week Kevin Danso needs to be brought into the centre of defence, Ralph spoke glowingly of his attributes both as a central defender and also as a holding midfielder, he has been used as neither.

The fact that he hasn't suggests that on the training ground our coaches Kelvin Davis, Dave Watson & Craig Fleming are pushing towards the players they know and trust, hence it has been 2 or 3 out of Bednarek, Vestergaard, Yoshida & Stephens in every game and it hasn't worked.

Even Jan Bednarek a player who like Angus Gunn should be learning his trade and benefitting from the experience of the likes of Yoshida and Vestergaard is finding that he is getting no help or leadership from this direction and is now starting to see a drop in form.

Danso will not add experience or leadership, but he will add pace and strength and we are greatly lacking in that.

In simple terms at the back we need to do something different, we have shipped 9 goals in 3 games, play the same players we will ship another 3 at Molyneux.

We are not a bad team, we all know the problems, we just need Ralph to fix it as he did last season, I'm sure he will do.

Wolves fans are saying that they are a team who like us struggle to break down the opposition when they have the lions share of possession, they like to sit back a little and go on the break, on Saturday as the home side the onus is on them to attack and perhaps that will suit us a little more.

We have to keep things tight, in our last three games we have been murdered on the counter attack by all three sides, hopefully the pace of Danso will at least give us a chance of stopping that.

We can start to turn things around, only a month ago we ooked to have had a solid start to the season, three straight defeats have changed all that, now we need to get back to winning ways or at least not losing ones.

I would go for the following line up.

McCarthy

Valery, Bednarek, Danso, Bertrand

Boufal, Romeu, Hojbjerg Redmond

JWP

Ings.

Subs
Gunn
Armstrong
Yoshida
Vestergaard
Adams
Long
Obafemi

A line up that gives us pace down the flanks and a strong centre sitting in front of our centre of defence, but it also restores Ward Prowse to a role more suited to him where he can get his foot on the ball and play the it around, bringing others into play, something he has not been able to do this season as he has had to play out wide too often.

This is a difficult time, the whole club has to pull together, the past cannot be dragged up anymore, the old guard behind the scenes has gone as so many wanted, we now have to back the new one.

Photo: Action Images

perazi added 11:59 - Oct 18 Your comments about Ward-Prowse confirm you know very little about Football. In all his 200 plus appearances WP has never successfully managed the 10 role...or any other role for that matter. Your previews have become laughable, blinkered opinion pieces.
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allsaint54 added 12:31 - Oct 18 Please please no more JWP. I've seen enough of his ponderous play, sideways, backwards passing. How many goals are scored from his set pieces - hardly any. Time for a change - anyone else has got to be an improvement. He's had more than enough chances to prove himself.
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SaintNick added 12:32 - Oct 18 Why is it a blinkered opinion piece ? It is purely my view that he would flourish in this role, what is wrong with that, why does it offend you so much that I suggest Ward Prowse could play there ?
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perazi added 12:40 - Oct 18 Let me put it this way Nick. JWP has made 240 or so appearances for Saints - I've seen most of them. By any objective standard he has shown no capacity for "flourishing" in the 10 role. Nor has he had success when played wide right or left. His appearances as a FB have been failures. When played as a CM with one other, we have been steamrolled in midfield - and when played in a midfield of three there is always too much pressure put on Romeu to cover WP's defensive and positional deficiencies. THat's why your view is hard to take seriously.

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bstokesaint added 13:00 - Oct 18 I feel less offended by JWP’s proposed selection I’d have to say, and he did have a good run in the side last season when he was scoring and looking more threatening. That said I’d drop him for Armstrong, who I don’t think has been given a fair run and on my opinion looked half decent. I’d also swap Bednarak out for Yodhida. Don’t think you could have two youngsters in the centre of defence. We’ll have to agree to disagree on Yoshi, he’s taken some stick, but look at the players he’s been left to play with.

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TimSaint added 13:21 - Oct 18 Nick - at least get the name of their ground spelt correctly !! lol bstoke - not sure if Armstrong is the right person for that role either - especially after his showing up there last season - he played his part in both Wolves goals. No doubt he willbe given a chance at some stage though. Perhaps Boufal in that role could work though.
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underweststand added 14:51 - Oct 18 Lots of different views here Nick. Whatever has been said about JWP, he's certainly not shown up well so far this season. If we bought Armstrong with a view to him becoming the next Steven Davis? .or whatever, he has to be given a chance and non better than now. Armstrong in JWP out (for a while). Young keepers are always frail, now its Angus Gunn who needs a re-think. McCarthy in . If Danso is a likley new CB -then give a a place to play as a CB. and stop ****ing around playing him all over the field. The biggest defensive headache is trying to find full backs who are good in the wingback role, but suddenly they forget that they are defenders who are allowed to cross the halfway line once in a while. I'd prefer a good FB who primarily knows how to defend his patch and can do the job properly . Come Back Frannie Benali.

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davidargyll added 15:12 - Oct 18 JW-P, we all know, to be charitable, has not been playing up to his past potential. The question is is this a permanent rut he's stuck in or, as Nick suggests, he could get out of in a changed position. Really good players play well, or at the very least show qualities, wherever they play, ie they're adaptable. I hope you are right but I fear you will be wrong: "journeyman pro" is the expression I simply cannot get out of my mind to describe him...

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VillageSaint added 18:06 - Oct 18 Its really weird how the anti-JWP crowd just cant let it lie. Why is he such a prophet without honour in his own country? Spurs fans were drooling over his excellence when we played them two weeks ago sensing danger at every corner. At least twice this season the serious football commentators have identified him as man of the match. And yet they still carp. He actually hasn't played at all badly this season but still they have to have a go. Is it because he was a Pompey fan in his early years? He would always be the first name on my teamsheet because you know you will always get a committed and hard-working performance.

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mikesaint added 09:38 - Oct 19 Prowse is not good enough to play in the current Saints team. He is the most overrated player to ever feature for Saints. Drop him and we might just win.
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