Hughes Needs To Instill The Passion
The defeat at Everton was characterised by a first half that was missing all that was good about the last few games of last season, passion, confidence and drive, Mark Hughes needs his team to find that and fast.
Those who watched the game at Goodison Park noticed that from the off Saints seemed to lack any read energy and passion for the game, whereas Everton played with the gusto you would expect from a side with a new manager and a few new signings.
Yet we had not of that, we looked like rabbits in the headlights at times with no organisation and leadership.
Last season we had a decent squad, we still have and it is more than capable of a top 10 finish, but what has happened to the intensity and desire we had in the final few games, the hope was that Mark Hughes having found that in the squad could keep the momentum this season and with the addition of a few new players could take us forward.
I believe he can do that, but we have to find a structure to our team and leadership not only off the field but on it.
In the first halves against both Burnley and Everton the players looked lost, as if they didn't really know their jobs in the line up and it only needed one or two to be out of sync and soon the rest follow, of course the usual suspects are blamed, but it is more than that.
I think that Mark Hughes firstly has to find out his best line up, I'm not sure that he knows it yet, certainly he is also making some strange selections including the ommission of Hojbjerg from the starting line up in both games.
It hasn't helped that already there are injury problems, defensively the arrival of Vestergaard looked a good piece of business and the ideal man to add strength to the side and counter balance the skills of Hoedt, hopefully he will be back against Leicester City.
Likewise Stuart Armstrong has looked an absolute bargain, but he was not fit to start at Goodison and of course we all have high hopes for Elyounoussi to be another star.
But although Hughes injury woes did not help his selection dilemmas, that wasn't the problem, it was a complete lack of passion and determination that caused our downfall and left us a mountain to climb.
If Hughes can find that on Saturday then hopefully we can beat Leicester and start to move forward, if we don't then the knives will be out.
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