Here we go again, will Saints crumble at the back or will they get away with it ? this is the question I posed all last season and nothing has changed, one thing is for sure we have to stop leaving players unmarked at the back.

On the opening day of last season Saints travelled to Turf Moor and saw a result that proved the blueprint for the rest of the season, they looked good going forward and at the hour mark had got away with a few things including a VAR penalty appeal, then on 63 minutes they conceded a soft goal and did so another two times in the next 12 minutes.

Suddenly a game they looked like they could go on and win had been gifted to the opposition, it would not be the first time that this had happened and it would not be the last.

Literally every goal conceded was soft last season and so far the 8 goals in the 3 opening days have not seen anyone cover themselves in glory.

The blunt truth is we have not learnt anything and we bloody well should have and signed perhaps the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle, indeed by giving Jack Stephens a four year contract we are perhaps showing faith in him that is not justified on the pitch and if the opening three games are anything to go by, he could turn out to be yet another player who we have on our books who can't get in the side, but can't leave due to the wages we are paying him.

So this preview of the trip to Turf Moor is exactly the same preview of every game last season, will we get away with it when we leave players unmarked, or will we be punished for yet more kamikazi defending and the stark truth is we will gift a side chances.

I'm sick of writing the same thing, but more to the point I am sick of seeing the same thing, it is not just the odd game here and there, but every game.

Some will say that some of the mistakes have come when the ball has been given away and they are right, but every side gives the ball away, every attack does not end with a chance on goal, whether you are Liverpool, Man City or Saints you give the ball away, the only difference is who you have behind you at the back and their ability to defend.

As I said every attack you have does not end in a chance on goal and that should be the same in reverse, every time we give the ball away we should not be conceding, we cannot defend quick counter attacks and the other teams have cottoned on to that, we are slow, disorganised and out of position.

So unless we have signed a player that we haven't told the World about yet, we go to Burnley needing to try and do something different.

There might be a change in goal, Alex McCarthy was indecisive against Spurs and really should have been organising his defence better, I can see a change in between the posts.

In the centre of defence Bednarek and Stephens are not a balanced partnership, then again nor are any combination of Bednarek, Stephens & Vestrgaard, in my opinion Bednarek is the only one of the three who does the job he is paid to do and that is get in tackles and blocks, so it is only a question of who plays next to him, the problem is that Stephens can't hold the line and Vestergaard is too much like Bednarek, whichever way we go there is no contrast.

I think Vestergaard will come in if only because we have to do something, I actually think that it will be Bednarek who is dropped, not because he deserves to be, but because we have to have someone who can play the ball at the back, Stephens can do that, he can carry the ball forward, but he cannot defend.

So it's anyone's guess what the result will be today, but a third successive defeat puts us in trouble and more importantly without any options to change it at the back.

The worst thing is we are so close to being a decent side, yet our central defence is Championship at best.

You have read all this before, sadly it won't be the last time or long before you hear it again unless Ralph does something in the transfer window.

Photo: Action Images

HythePeer added 11:57 - Sep 26 Saints will be fine, as long as Ings can score three!?
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perazi added 12:00 - Sep 26 Another predictable, blinkered, flawed opinion piece. No mention of the weakness of our midfield - and the lunacy of playing youngsters like Smallbone and Tella, who on the early evidence, will not cut it at this level. Early indications are that Ralph's preferred small squad is a dangerous strategy to be pursuing - as is his exaggerated high defensive line. By the way, Blind Freddy can see that our central defence is lacking...the lack of critique on our midfield, relying on Ward-Prowse who has started the season anonymously and Romeu is the glaring omission from these TUI commentaries.

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felly1 added 13:45 - Sep 26 Not confident of a result today. No doubt it will be Stephens regardless whether he's to blame or not won't make any difference. Does anybody know of any other decent forums for Saints? Literally every news story is focused around Jack Stephens. It's got really weird and boring as there is little or no views on the other players and positions etc. It's a shame because lots of fellow posters on here have interesting well rounded views. Please let me know if there any other decent forums that others might recommend.

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underweststand added 14:44 - Sep 26 Even if we learn from last week's mistakes...I'd be happy to come away with one point?
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SaintPaulVW added 15:06 - Sep 26 It will be a good start if we stop playing the suicidal high line. Is it going to take another 9 goal thrashing for Ralph to see the light, like he did last year, and get the team set up to play to the players actual strengths again rather than dogmatically stick to a formation that doesn't suit the players we have available. Rather than solely blame the CBs, the attack, who the use of a high defensive line would be presumed to benefit, have performed poorly. Let's see more effectiveness from them please. COYS

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davidhosey added 16:05 - Sep 26 Spot on perazi, the midfield is thin, without energy and not doing its other job of covering the defence. Romeu is someone you never mention. He is slow, looks overweight and from what I have seen would struggle to get into a championship side. Not good enough by far. We need quality and energy in midfield, we have had months to prepare and it is worrying
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theralpholution added 10:20 - Sep 27 Looking forward to the verdict. How can this be spun so the writer is proven correct? Did we get away with it? Did we collapse? Has nothing changed? Was the defence lacking leadership? Should make for an interesting article.
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