Of course all Saints fans wish that this weekend we were competing in the FA Cup, but the defeat to Crystal Palace does have its golden lining and that is the chance for Saints to get a much needed break.
Saints squad is not the biggest in the Premier league in terms of experienced players and it has been stretched to breaking point over the past two months when barely a week has gone by without someone picking up an injury that has kept them out of the side for at least several weeks.
This has meant that Ronald Koeman has not had the options to hand that he would have liked and that the core of the starting line up has been played week in week out, indeed between Boxing Day and the visit of West Ham on Wednesday a total of 47 days, Saints have played 8 Premier League games plus another 3 in the FA Cup, a ratio of a game every 4.25 days.
Now for the first time since the start of the season the team has a genuine period of rest, International Breaks have usually seen the bulk of the team in one squad or another and have not been a rest of any kind.
Now we have the chance to get that rest as well as bring a few of the long term injured a little nearer a return to action,
But it is the rest that is most important, we have looked a little jaded in recent weeks and this period without a game will be a blessing in disguise, hopefully when we return against Liverpool we will have a spring in our step whilst they will not only have had a tough and physical cup match at Crystal Palace tomorrow, but on Thursday will have also faced Besiktas in the Europa League, if we have one advantage it will be freshness and hopefully that will play a part.
Indeed over the next few weeks the games will come thick and fast for most of our rivals for a top four place whilst we will only have Premier league games.