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Saints At Wolverhampton Wanderers The Verdict

It was always going to be a tough game and one that Saints needed to build on a fragile confidence, but just as you thought that we might snatch a point and maybe more we again suffered the dreaded lapse in concentration.

As the game entered the final period Saints fans up at Molineux were optimistic that their side was growing stronger and looked the more likely to win the game in the last 15 minutes, but then with 10 minutes to go as they tried to attack they lost the ball and were caught on the break and the game was gone.

For the best part of the game Saints competed, they dug in and weathered the odd storm and in the main were starting to look comfortable in what they were doing, but they seem to be playing without just confidence but leadership and motivation and that is what is setting them aside from teams like Wolves.

Whereas the home side wanted the ball and to run at players, only Nathan Redmond in our colours seemed to have the fight to do that, we passed the ball well, we defended well, but we had little appetite to truly try to win the game.

In the final stages we were starting to look better and showing a little desire to win it, but that ultimately cost us as Mario Lemina surged forward into a wall of Wolves yellow and lost the ball, he really should have expected his team mates to be able to deal with that, but the fact is we couldn't and were all at sea as Wolves poured forward.

So where do Saints go from here a lot of people will rant about the same players, but defensively the weak link is not Hoedt but Vestergaard who seems to be struggling to come to terms wit the pace and physicality of the Premier League and is often caught napping.

WE matched Wolves in all things statistical bar goals, but more tellingly we couldn't match them for passion, motivation and aggression and that is the difference between winning games and losing them.

There is a distinct lack of leadership both on the field and seemingly off it, Hughes seems to stick to a core of players but seems unable to decide on another dozen, hence we see changes on the bench week in week out and a lack of a clear pecking order in those not playing.

I have often called for time for Mark Hughes to be able to bed in new signings and to impose himself and his style on the squad, there is a spark missing, can Sparky find it is the question, we are underperforming due to a lack of confidence and leadership, but where will we get either of those from.

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